Infinite Promises
by LiveLaughLoveTogether13
Summary: He was that secret kiss, the worn leather jacket on your bedroom floor, the heartbreaking, devilish smirk that bound to cause trouble. He was Sirius Black– a whirlwind of unforgotten promises and untold secrets. Marauders Era. Sirius/OC, Lily/James.
1. Prologue: Part 1

**Okay, so the Prologue is split into two parts, bare with me, there won't be much Ma**ra**uders until Chapter One, but the prologue is all about establishing who Avalon is and why she acts the way she does and will set certain things into motion. **

**Happy Reading,**

**-LiveLaughLoveTogether13**

* * *

"_Our legacy, our actions, no matter how small or insignificant will always be remembered by people who matter. That is called immortality. This is what makes our __lives infinite."_

* * *

~Prologue~

Part One

The Mark in the Sky

* * *

Avalon shivered, tightly wounding herself into the covers of her bed. The night was dark over Cornwall, covering the usually lively village in darkness. It was unbearably cold for summer, (hell, even for winter); the air seemed different than usual, like a leather binding had wrapped around the small village, cutting it off from the rest of the city's warmth.

The bedroom was plain, filled with different tones of dark red and gold. A dark tawny owl stood to the side, grey-calculating eyes on guard for the girl inside the bedroom.

Finding no sense of heat in her stone-cold bedroom, Avalon pulled the duvet off suddenly feeling suffocated. Twisting to her wardrobe, she pulled on her golden red Gryffindor jumper over her pale arms, savouring the feel of the woollen fabric on her bare skin; although it did nothing for her exposed legs, which were clad in nothing but ratty old pyjama shorts.

"Ava?" A soft, quiet voice called. The door cracked open, and a little head of chocolate brown ruffles bounded its way in quietly, hands clasped behind his back.

Avalon looked at the tiny figure, her eyes trailing after his suspiciously. "Yes, Alex?"

He seemed to hesitate, before grinning brightly at his older sister. It was the dead of night, which meant that Mum and Dad were fast asleep, so it was just he and his sister. Pulling out the dead daisy he found early, he held it out to Avalon.

"Why are you showing me this?" She looked at him confused.

Alex shushed her, grinning madly. "Watch this!"

The daisy was of little significance, only to the fact that her mother and Alex must have picked it up when they went on a walk earlier. It had wilted from the morning, the stem turning a sickly yellow and the petals falling off.

But slowly, as Alex held the daisy in his palm, the stem gradually turned into a fantastic evergreen, while new, bright white petals began to grow again. All of this happened within seconds, as Alex looked down at his handy work, awaiting response.

Avalon broke out into a grin, her face splitting in two. She grabbed her brother by the forearms, and spun him around, giggling quietly as the two sat down on her bed. Alex beamed up at his older sister, happy that she had approved of his little trick.

"Do you know what this means?" Alex asked excitedly. "It means I'm a wizard like you and Daddy! How cool is that? Mum'll be so proud, especially since she's a Muggle, but loves everything to do with magic! I can't wait to go to Hogwarts-" Alex babbled on, his over-imaginative six-year-old mind taking control of his mouth.

Avalon sighed, before ruffling Alex's hair. He pouted up at her, and proceeded to try and give her a big hug, which essentially meant to tickle her until she was out of breath.

Alex yawned loudly, his eyes drooping in exhaustion. He snuggled next to Avalon's shoulder, wrapping himself under her covers. "Do you really have to leave for Hogwarts next week?"

"You know I do," Avalon replied, wrapping an arm around her brother protectively. "Besides, it's my final year, I have to be there. And after, well I guess I'm all yours, Mum's and Dad's. I'll never leave you again,"

Alex grinned up at Avalon, his blue eyes shining brightly up at her. "Promise?" He said, holding his pinkie out to Avalon.

She gripped the pinkie, the same blue eyes shining, before turning to smile softly at her younger brother. "I promise,"

* * *

Avalon stirred awake, a sense of unease filling her. Alex lay next to her, his body curled into a fetal position. It seemed that now Alex was sleeping in her bed, the whole room seemed to get stuffy with the added body heat. While it was welcomed before, the temperature only caused a nuisance now.

Slipping out of the bed, Avalon walked slowly towards her window seat, resting her warm forehead onto the cold, frost-ridden window.

"I must have forgotten to close the curtain," She mumbled to herself, closing her eyes as the coldness swept across her rosy cheeks.

Lights illuminated her face, as her eyelids closed. The feeling of pure bliss took over her as the water vapour condensed on her forehead, cooling her warm body.

The light show was making her eyes hurt now, the dark greens even visible with her eyes closed shut. Snapping them open, the unease that she felt earlier came back full force. Her blue eyes snapped wide open, as her lips parted in disbelief.

The sky was darker than it was before, colours of black, grey and green twisted around the firmament, before swirling into a shape, a simple image that caused Avalon's whole face to turn pale in seconds.

A skull was created, the clouds swirling around it like it was bowing down to it. It reached over miles of the sky, covering the entire village of Cornwall in complete darkness. Nothing could be seen but flashes of green and grey.

Something finally kicked into gear, as Avalon swiftly rushed towards Alex, shaking his shoulders till he was awake. He rubbed his eyelids, a huge yawn emitting from his mouth. "S' happening?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Alex, wake up!" Avalon shrieked, grabbing her brother's forearms. He quickly was alert, noticing the alarm in his sister's voice.

"Listen to me, I need you to be a big boy for me," Avalon said slowly, pulling a blanket out of her wardrobe and covering Alex's shoulders with them.

"Why?" He asked, tears welling slowly as he saw his sister frantically grabbing touches and her wand. "What's going on?"

"You know that bad guy dad was on about last night?" She said quickly, looking down at Alex. He nodded slowly, quivering slightly. "Someone like that, his followers are here in our village, and I need you to hide under the bed until I come and get you, okay?"

Alex wiped his tears away, hoping Avalon didn't see him crying. But she did; she always saw him. "I can help! I'm a big boy, almost six!"

Avalon bit her lip, smiling melancholy at him. "I know Alex. You're the biggest boy in the whole world, almost as big as Daddy. But to prove to me that you're a big boy, I'm begging you to stay under the bed, I'm going to get Mum and Dad, and you're going to be silent and wait for me here, okay?"

Alex was hesitant, as he grabbed the ends of Avalon's shorts. He rubbed his face against her bare legs, tears sipping out of his eyes. He hadn't heard much about the Bad Guy, Daddy and Mummy always made sure not to speak about him in front of Alex, but Alex knew. Alex knew because he knew his parents and Avalon were scared of him; that meant that the Bad Guy was scary for Alex too.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" Avalon said, shoving Alex under her bed and covering him with a blanket. She gave him a small torchlight, before running towards her parents' room, her bare footsteps pounding against the floor.

"Dad!" She yelled, pounding against the door. "Dad wake up!"

Jasper opened the door immediately, seeing his only daughter in near-tears at his door. His eyes were still bleary from the sleep that had been interrupted, but in an instant it was dispelled as he saw the hopelessness on Avalon's face.

"It's the mark," She whispered intensely. "The mark in the sky,"

"Jasper," Kate said, pulling her daughter closer to her. Kissing the top of Avalon's head in a warm embrace, she turned to her husband, confused, "What is going on?"

"No time to explain, we need to get out of here as quick as possible. Avalon, go get the floo powder, and pack all the essentials into a bag, keep Alex with you, Kate, I'll explain on the way," Jasper said, grabbing his wand and quickly sending a distress signal to the Ministry through his Patronus.

Avalon rushed to her bedroom, pulling the covers that hid Alex under her bed off. He jumped slightly, but seemed to relax once he noticed it was his sister. Avalon grabbed his hand, pulling his out from under her bed. She pulled on her black converses, and shrugged on her ratty hoodie over her Gryffindor jumper.

"Come on, we've got some packing to do," Avalon explained, grabbing her old, scruffy school backpack.

The bag was empty except from some old quills and rolls of plain paper. Grabbing Alex's hands, Avalon stormed to her father's office, grabbing as many things that looked important, confidential Ministry reports and Death Eater evidence, and stuffed it into her bag. Creating an undetectable charm on the school bag, she pulled some odd healing potions she found as well, before she pulled back into her room.

She saw the packet of floor powder, gripping it into her free hands. Alex looked around his father's office, this was the first time he had been allowed in here, it was always only him and Avalon that were in here in fact.

Avalon whistled lowly, a calling to her most trusted friend. The dark bird came flying through the house, towards the call of her owner. She nipped the finger of Avalon's arm that was extended for her claws. "There, there Athena. Don't get your feathers all ruffled,"

If an owl could roll their eyes, Athena did. Alex stroked Athena softly, feeling safe as he touched Athena's feathers. Avalon placed Athena onto Alex's shoulder, before directing them around Father's office. She had to hide anything to do with Death Eaters trials that her Father had spent months and weeks finding.

Both Alex and Avalon felt reassured when they heard the heavy footsteps of their parents running up the stairs. Turning towards the window by Alex, she could see her town below her.

The whole village was in ruins; the city was ablaze with fire and ash. The sky was burned with green and black, cloaked figures terrorized the streets below. Dread filled Avalon, as she slid down to the floor, her back hitting the closet that her father used to store potion ingredients in. Polyjuice was most definetly his specialty.

Alex walked over to his sister, Athena resting on his arm. He lay his head down on Avalon's shoulder, before fishing out the daisy from his pyjama pocket. "Remember the promise?"

Avalon turned towards Alex, her eyes flashing over too many things, so much death and so much destruction. She saw the innocent eyes of her brother, and quickly kissed the top of his head, her fingers running through his dark hair. "I'll never forget it,"

Their father ran through the door to the office, and immediately spotted his children. "Ava! Alex!"

"Daddy!" Alex yelled, running over to Jasper. Athena lifted up on her wings and perched herself onto Avalon's shoulder.

"Oh thank Merlin you're okay,"

Jasper hugged Alex closely, before turning towards his daughter. "It's all here," She said, pointing to her book bag. "Undetectable charm, won't even realise it's there,"

He kissed the top of her head, "That's my girl,"

"Where's Momma?" Alex asked.

"She's in the kitchen, grabbing any essentials. We have to hurry, we'll go over to Aunt Zoe's place, in London,"

An ear-splitting crack of the front door could be heard from downstairs. Everything was silent, except for the rummage of Athena's feathers. Jasper slowly placed Alex down, before turning towards the door, slowly creeping backwards.

"Honey?" He whispered, dread filling him. No response was heard.

Familiar ear-piecing screams stretched through the house, causing fear and dread to fill Avalon's whole body.

Jasper's whole face turned translucent as he turned back towards his kids, "Don't move till I get back, and I promise I will come back,"

He pulled Alex into a final hug, before turning towards Avalon, who couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Let me help. You can't expect me to sit around and not fight,"

"No," He said firmly, grabbing his daughter's shoulders. "You must look after Alex, promise me that,"

She looked down, tears slipping from her eyes. She could feel it now; they were nearing the house. The Death Eaters were almost here.

"If I don't come back…" He trailed on, closing his eyes slowly. He then leaned closer to Avalon's ear so that Alex wouldn't be able to hear. "Do not tell a soul, but you must find my journal, He Who Must Not Be Named next plan is in it,"

"You are coming back, right? What, Dad, you're not making any sense-"

"Shh, it'll be okay, I'm coming back, and I just need to go get your mum-"

Then an ear-piecing, blood-curdling shriek filled the house. Jasper pulled his wand out, running down the stairs without a second glace at Avalon or Alex. The door could be heard, blasted open completely off its hinges. Alex yelled, wanting to follow, but Avalon gripped his shoulders, shoving him into their father's closet.

_You must look after Alex. _

Avalon threw open her father's drawers; it had to be here. It was no use using Accio; her farther had put the best protective charm on it than anything she had seen.

_Don't tell a soul. _

Where was it? It couldn't have just walked off and disappeared.

_I'm coming back. _

The door slammed open, flying off its hinges. With a quick flick of her wand, Avalon locked the door, giving Alex a 'be quiet' signal just before. Athena had gotten the gist of the situation and had fled behind a bookcase, keeping her sharp eyes trailed on the intruder. Rolling under her Father's desk, Avalon clamped a hand over her mouth, thankful that she had at least thrown her bag with all the documents into the closet with Alex.

"Now," A slight nasally voice said, his voice breaking the silence that had seemed to cast over the Summers House. "Where is that beautiful young daughter of yours, Summers?"

"You stay away," came the hoarse voice of her father.

Peaking from under the desk, Avalon swallowed the harsh bile that rose through her throat. A man, wearing a long, black trench-coat stood in the middle of the room, a black wand pointing to where Avalon's father was gagged and bounded in the middle, held back by two burley Death Eaters. His hair was a dark blue, but the mark of Voldermort was prominent on his arm.

"Oh, but that's such a boring response," The Death Eater mused on, circling her father while she could do nothing but observe. "I was hoping for something a little more original from the famous, Jasper Summers,"

"How about I shove your wand so far up your ass you'll forget that your mummy never even read you a bedtime story, sadistic mother-"

"Oh come on, you can do better than that,"

"Not in front of the children, dick face,"

A slap was heard, deafening the house. "Is that what you've reduced to, petty comments while your wife lies in your kitchen, bleeding to death?"

Avalon's heart dropped, and this time, no matter how hard she tried, the tears fell like waterfalls. She wanted to sob, she wanted to run downstairs and save her mum, but her whole body was paralysed. Loud screams resonated from beneath Avalon, as she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from joining her mother's screams.

"You filthy, son of a bastard!" Jasper screamed, his throat burning. "You coward!" He struggled against the ropes that bound him. He growled and snarled at the Death Eater, who grinned maliciously at him in response.

"Ah, some response finally," He said, smirking down at Jasper. "Since your children refuse to come out and help their Daddy, let's play a game to keep ourselves entertained."

He pointed his wand without a second thought, his eyes narrowing. "_Crucio_,"

Jasper yelled, his face contorting with pain. His whole body was burning, it was the most unbearable pain he felt. All his pain and misery attacked him at once; he lost his wife, he couldn't protect his children, every negative feeling in his body was amplified beyond recognition.

Avalon snapped.

"Stop it!" She yelled, a new sense of courage filling her. "Stop it right now!" She pointed her wand at the man, gripping it with all her might, as if it could dispel the fear and dread that filled her. She screamed every spell that came out of her mouth like a curse, but each time, the Death Eater repelled it.

The Death Eater looked more amused than surprised. He grinned down at Avalon's father, "Spunky, isn't she?"

"What will you do, sweetheart?" He said mockingly. "What will a barely legal, half-blood witch do?"

She wasted no time, gave no thought. Without thinking and placed purely on instinct, she pointed her wand at The Death Eater, shouting out the first incantation that she had ever learnt. "_Expelliarmus_!"

His wand flew out of his hand, and landed into Avalon's waiting hand. Athena took this as her signal, and flew down, her wings extended as she attacked the men holding her owner's father captive. She squawked and pecked, leaving two grown men bloody and potentially blinded. She grabbed each by one of her talons, and tossed them out the door, with unbelievable strength.

Avalon nodded in satisfactory towards her owl, before turning towards the lone Death Eater, holding both her wand and his wand at him.

"You little rascal," He snarled.

Jasper snorted, his voice ringing almost bell-like, "My daughter certainly will not like that,"

"_Aguamenti," _Avalon yelled, whipping her wand in a quick, wave-like motion from left to right.

Water shot out from her wand, and binded around the Death Eater's legs, before she focused on solidifying the water particles, something she had read in her Charms Book but never really had the chance to practice.

Well… No better time than the present.

The water turned to ice in seconds, trapping the Death Eater's legs to the floor. Avalon pointed her wand towards the ropes that binded her father, muttering a quick "_Rushio," _

Handing him the Death Eater's wand, Avalon couldn't help but notice his bloody cheek and hands. He smiled weakly at her, before pointing the wand towards the Death Eater, who was weirdly smirking at them.

The water had melted immediately, but now Avalon's father was free, they would be okay.

Then the whole world went cold.

The Death Eater pulled an arm out, and then a small head with ruffles of dark curls and ocean-blue eyes emerged. Alex stood in between the Death Eater and Avalon, his small body shaking as he stared helplessly at his family, the Death Eater gripping his shoulders painfully.

"Weak, that locking charm? My fellow comrades cracked it within a second, but you were too busy with your father's impending torture, you didn't notice,"

Avalon felt her heart drop as she saw Alex's tear-stained face. "Alex… I'm so sorry," She mumbled, tears leaking out of her eyes.

He shrugged his shoulders, although his whole body was quivering and his light blue eyes were shaking. "S'kay. I'm a big boy, just like you said,"

The Death Eater laughed a hallow laugh, "Oh, what will you give me in exchange, perhaps what we came here for?"

Jasper was staring intently at the Death Eater, his face snarling. "Give. Me. My. Son. Lasawoski."

"No can do," Lasawoski said, smirking an evil smile.

He flicked his hand in the air once, and his wand flew from Jasper's hand to his. He pointed the wand to Alex's head. "Now, let me repeat myself, where is the notebook?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jasper said emotionlessly.

"All right, your call," Lasawoski said. "Avad-"

"No!" Avalon and Jasper yelled.

"We don't have anything!" She bellowed, before anyone could stop her. "My Dad's journal is missing, I don't know what's in it, or who it's about but it's all we know, so just give me my brother back!"

Lasawoski looked for the first time, surprised. Before he scoffed and looked at Jasper displeasingly. "Old information, well it seems that you are of no use to me,"

He pointed the wand at Jasper, and with no hesitation, green light exploded from the wand shooting straight at Jasper.

"No!"

His body crumpled, his face twisted with agony. He could barely breath as the spell hit him, leaving his body in excruciating numbness of pain.

Then came nothing.

In a split second, everything was frozen. Avalon couldn't think straight; thoughts were flooding her mind, yet nothing actually registered. Her mother's smile as she baked a cake with her, her father teaching her the best defence and offence spells. The nighttime feasts that they always had during the last day of summer. Everything and nothing flooded through her mind.

It was silent, Alex was quivering, and his face squeezing shut as he tried to dispel the image of his pale-faced, unmoving father from his mind.

"No!" Avalon moaned, sobs raking through her body. "Daddy! You promised, you promised you'd come back!"

Her sorrow was immediately replaced with fury as she heard a wicked cackle from Lasawoski. Rage filled her, her every bone filling with anger, torment and pain. Her fear and heartbreak was taking control of her as she pointed the wand to Lasawoski. "_Stupefy!" _

His body flew backwards, giving Alex the time to rush towards his sister's awaiting arms. Athena had flown back in, seemingly finished with her victims, _ahem_, she meant the Death Eaters.

Alex clung to Avalon's neck, his legs wrapped around her waist. She held on tightly to him, rushing out the door. Lasawoski seemed to bounce back from the spell remarkably quickly, before he pulled her loose ponytail back into the room, a large red bruise on the side of his face, where he landed on the cold, wooden floor after the curse had hit him.

"Not so fast you little bitch," He sneered. "_Crucio_,"

Avalon jumped behind one of her father's bookcases, muffling Alex's cries with her shoulder, barely missing the curse. Athena perched onto her shoulder, squawking whenever she sensed Lasawoski nearing.

"You can't hide forever," He sung, blasting the right section of the bookcase, which was awfully near to Avalon's head.

"One time, I will get you,"

He blasted another row of bookshelves, completely destroying her father's cherished study.

"And I will kill you,"

Athena pulled Avalon away just in time. She pulled Avalon by her beak, towards the rubble of the previous blast made by Lasawoski.

"Found you," He grinned madly, his face twinkling insanely.

She couldn't think. All she did was tighten her hold on Alex and Athena who was perching on her shoulder. She closed her eyes, her legs collapsing beneath her.

_Please, _she thought. _Anywhere but here. _She could see her father's hand from underneath the rubble and mess that Lasawoski made.

_Take me somewhere safe. Please. _

Lasawoski made his way forward, his wand extended. Just as he shouted 'Avada', Avalon felt her centre of gravity shift.

She felt like she had been hurled backwards and forwards, spinning in a maze of crushing pressure. It was as if she had been pressed very hard from all directions; she cold not breathe, like there were iron bands tightening around her chest. Her eyeballs were being forced to the back of her head and all she could see was a merge of colours passing by her eyes. Avalon could feel Athena, digging her talons onto her back as she tried hurriedly to stay with Avalon. Alex gripped tightly onto Avalon's neck, never letting his hold on her loosen.

She collapsed onto a cold tile, her head smacking backwards painfully. Gripping the back of her head, she opened her eyes wide.

If this was heaven, then it sure had a way of welcoming its guests.

But, the smell definetly wasn't pleasurable; in fact, it was the smell of an all too familiar steam engine. Glancing up, she turned around, noticing the fact that Athena was currently pecking her ear playfully and Alex was sprawled on top of her, still clinging tightly to her.

_King's Cross-Station, oh Hogwarts, you truly are the safest place in the world. _

Avalon felt a pain run through her body, but chalking it up to falling flat on her ass, she didn't think much of it.

"Alex," Avalon whispered, flinching when she pulled herself up. Her body was aching and her clothes were tattered. She was lucky enough to have remembered putting shoes on; Alex stood besides her, wearing nothing but his pyjamas- barefoot.

"Alex, you can open your eyes, we're safe," She whispered again, kneeling so she was his height.

He cracked his eyes open, one at a time. His face was covered his soot from the rubble of their father's office, and he had a yellowish bruise from where Lasawoski had held him. His bottom lip quivered, as he clung his arms around Avalon's legs, much like he did before.

"It's okay," She repeated again, the tears dripping down her cheeks. "We're safe now, you and me,"

She shrugged her jacket off, forcing Alex to wear it. Athena tittered around them, her wings flapping happily at being alive.

"Avalon," Alex said, holding his hands up to reveal crimson liquid. Grabbing his hands with her left arm, she observed him, looking for any signs of wounds.

"Where does it hurt Alex?" She said frantically, gripping Alex's shoulder wildly.

Alex looked down towards Avalon, not looking into her eyes as if he was in some sort of trance. "It's not my blood," He coughed out, crying as he looked at Avalon with tears slipping down his eyes.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Avalon felt immense pain in her right hand. As the adrenaline of the night faded from her veins, her whole stomach began to heave as her whole body trembled. Blood was dripping down, one drop after another, like tears after a haunting nightmare. It stained against the pale white tiles of Kings Cross Station, the scarlet droplets splattering against the cold tiles.

"Shit," She whispered softly, softly enough that only she could hear it. The pain was building up her hand now, and she turned towards Alex, who was staring at her arm. His face was pale, and he looked like he was about to faint.

"Alex, don't look!"

"But-"

"I said don't look!"

Pulling her right hand towards her, Avalon felt her insides churn, a sickening feeling settling deep within the pit of her stomach.

Her right hand was barely hanging of it's bone, the whole flesh had been cut open, a slit from the centre of her wrist to her elbow. She could thankfully see that no veins had been severed; yet she was bleeding profusely. It was sickly to look at, as the crimson blood seeped down her pale fingers.

She had gotten splinched.

_Well what had I thought? _Avalon shook her head. _It was my first time Apparating; at least it wasn't Alex who got hurt. _

Without much thought of whether she would be cold or not, Avalon pulled off her red, Gryffindor jumper, and wrapped it carefully around the wound, trying not to flinch or hiss in pain when she did so.

In all honesty, Avalon wanted nothing more to scream and cry; the whole lower part of her arm had been practically pulled off the bone. Yet she kept it in, biting her lower lips to stop the screams from pulling out of her throat and frightening Alex.

It was difficult tying the knot on, with only one functioning hand. Pulling her wand out, she did a quick spell so that the jumper would tighten around the wound. Avalon could feel the blood seep through her beloved jumper, yet it didn't seep out, and the jumper seemed to do its job of stopping the bleeding and keeping pressure on the wound.

Alex turned towards Avalon once she was finished. He noticed the way that she seemed more paler than normal, her cheeks weren't rosy red like they were before, and her hands were stained in a dark, pinkish-red.

"Mum and Dad…"

"Are in a better place." Avalon cut him off, placing her working hand on his shoulders. "We are going to live our lives, we are going to make them proud," She gave him a watery smile, sobs choking her throat, before wiping away his tears.

"You and me, Ava,"

"You and me, Alex,"


	2. Prologue: Part 2

_Home_

_1\. The place where one lives permanently, especially as a __**member**__ of a __**family**__ or household._

* * *

~Prologue~

Part Two

Home

* * *

Avalon sighed, it had passed 1 am by now and all the major stores were closed down. Alex yawned into Avalon's ear, wrapping his arms loosely around her neck. It caused her pain to hold Alex up, but she'd rather have him in her arms.

She'd already lost both her parents tonight, she wasn't going to let her baby brother out of her sight. Athena was circling the perimeter, letting her wing spread, although she never went out of eyesight of the remaining Summers.

"Where are we?" Alex drowsed, his voice sleepy.

"London."

"How did we get here?"

"I apparated us,"

"How?" Alex asked, confused.

Avalon sighed, "Wish I knew as well,"

The fact was Avalon hadn't been taught Apparation. None of the Sixth-years had. They had a few basic lessons, but they weren't practices, they didn't physically apparate until they came back to Hogwarts for their Seventh year.

"Enough of these questions," Avalon said, hiking Alex higher up. He groaned, before snuggling back into the comfort of Avalon's embrace. "Why do you feel so lumpy?"

Alex seemed to loose all the fatigue he felt earlier. "I found Dad's journal,"

Avalon stumbled on her footing, catching herself before she fell with Alex underneath her. Setting him down, so he was still perched on her feet, Avalon raised an eyebrow, grabbing Alex's shoulders.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Alex smirked, looking more like their father than Avalon would like to admit, and pulled his buttoned up pyjama shirt up, revealing where the book bag, filled with all the incriminating evidence of rumoured Death Eaters, and behind it, a dark blue worn out journal, was hiding.

"I'm surprised that weirdo didn't feel it when he captured me,"

Avalon laughed slightly, before squealing, jumping up and down. She immediately stopped though, as her hand was burning from the movement. Flinching, she hid her pain, before turning towards her brother.

"You my dear brother, are a genius," She said, kissing Alex's blushing head.

A moment of silence passed through them, as they realised what this meant. Sure, they had the thing that the Death Eater's wanted, but it cost them the lives of their parents.

"Ava?" Alex said, as Avalon placed the journal inside the undetectable-charmed book bag, and hooked the bag over her shoulder. "Where are we going to go?"

Avalon bit her lip slightly, fresh memories of what took place only hours ago still in her mind. Her house, her only home other than Hogwarts, was destroyed. Swallowing back the tears, she turned towards Alex, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ears.

Picking him up so he was perched on her hip, she continued walking. "I have a place in mind, but I don't know how we'll get there."

"Can't you just do that thing you did back at the house?"

"It's not that simple, Alex," Avalon explained. "That was my first time apparating. I don't want to do it again in case I hurt either one of us,"

"Like with your arm?"

"Like my arm, yes,"

Alex nodded, before tucking himself back into Avalon's embrace, covered with her big, warm jacket.

If luck would have it, by walking a few more blocks down the street, they found a 24-hour café, empty, but open. Pushing the door open excitedly, Avalon searched her pockets for any spare change she may have. Finding only small Muggle pennies, and a few sickles and knuts, she turned back to her jacket that was draped over Alex, and was lucky to find a tenner in the inside pocket.

With her hand causing her more distress, she placed Alex in one of the booths, placing the tenner in her back pocket before covering Alex with her jacket so he wouldn't freeze.

"I'll be back soon, I'm just going to clean my arm," Avalon said. Alex immediately protested, gripping on to her legs.

"Can't we go together?" He asked hopefully. Avalon sighed, before nodding her head, walking towards the bathroom. No one had noticed them yet, although she could see a female in the kitchen, listening to music whilst doing dishes.

They walked towards the Ladies' room, with Alex rushing inside in front of Avalon.

She looked questionably at him, before he replied with a sheepish smile. "I gotta pee,"

A small chuckle escaped Avalon's mouth as she saw Alex's cheeks turn red, as he rushed towards one of the stalls, closing the door behind him. She carefully pulled her wand out to untie her jumper, watching as the red fabric seeped to the floor. The blood had stopped flowing now, yet she still couldn't feel any movement in that particular area of her arm.

Now that the wound had stopped bleeding, Avalon could get a closer look at the wound. It looked even worse now with all the blood gone.

The skin had been torn from the centre of her wrist to the inside of her forearm, revealing the bone on the inside. The flesh was hanging off, and yellow pus was starting to appear. It made Avalon gag as she threw up in one of the sinks, her body shivering at the sight of how bad her wound was. She tried to be quiet, but she could hear Alex knocking on the bathroom door, asking if she was okay.

Cleansing her mouth, she replied back to him. "I'm fine, just feeling a little off,"

He complied with the answer, before walking out of the cubicle, flinching and closing his eyes when he saw how bad the wound was on his big sister's arm. Turning away, he slid down on the floor, playing with the hem of his trousers until she was done.

All she could do at the moment was sigh, before turning away from Alex so he didn't have to witness the pain she was going through at the moment.

Cautiously placing her arm under the sink, she baulked when the lukewarm water made contact with her skin, gripping the table as her face turned white.

If she had essence of dittany at the moment, but as she did not, all she could do was pray and hope that help would come anytime soon. Dumping her jumper inside the sink, she let the tap water run away the blood-soaked fabric. Grabbing some paper-towels, Avalon wrapped it carefully around her wound again, before using her wand to tighten it around.

After this was done, she pulled her jumper out of the overflowing sink, pulling the plug so the pinkish water would swirl around before disappearing down the tap. She then rinsed the jumper until no more water was left saturated in the jumper, and with a quick flick of her wand, she proceeded to create a make-shift sling, wrapping one arm of the jumper around her shoulder, whist the other wrapped around her wounded arm.

"Come on, Alex," Avalon said, after they both stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. She led him out of the bathroom, her left hand on his back. He rubbed his eyes with his fists tiredly, causing him to yawn sleepily.

Placing Alex down on one of the booths, Avalon turned towards the till, ringing the bell to alert the employee that she was here. A young lady bustled through, popping her earphones out of her ears and turning towards Avalon with a hesitant smile, more like a grimace really.

Avalon looked down at her attire, and wondered what the waitress must think she was. All tattered and bruised, with a poorly bandaged arm and a six year old who could barely keep him eyes opened.

"What can I get for you, love?"

Avalon turned towards Alex, who was trying not to fall asleep. Looking up at the display board that showed the menu, Avalon quickly made her decision, pulling out the tenner she had found in her pocket out.

"Can I have two large chocolate covered donuts and a hot chocolate please?"

The waitress took down her order, taking then ten-pound note and giving the right amount of change. Limping back to the booth where Alex was patiently waiting, she slid next to her brother, dropping her head down on to the table. She laid her head down on her cheek, and turned towards Alex who was doing the same, his face towards her.

Haunting, azure eyes met, the same eyes that they saw in their mother. Tears slipped out of Alex's eyes, as he grabbed Avalon's uninjured hand.

"Thank you," He whispered softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Avalon lifted her head from the table, placing a delicate kiss onto his forehead. "You're welcome."

The waitress bundled towards them, placing the hot chocolate in front of Avalon along with the two donuts. Avalon smiled in thanks, before handing the hot chocolate over to Alex, along with the donuts.

"You never let me eat chocolate late at night though," Alex said, his small fingers wrapped around the polystyrene cup.

Avalon ruffled his russet brown hair, sifting her unscathed fingers through them. "Just this once, Al,"

Alex didn't need to be told twice. Gripping the hot chocolate tightly, he gulped down the drink, pushing it away from him when it burned his tongue.

"Alex," Avalon said, grabbing some napkins to wipe away some of the drink that dribbled down his chin. Bringing over the donuts, she ripped one of them in half, before dunking it into the hot chocolate. Passing it over to Alex, she motioned for him to eat.

He ate it all in one bite, his stomach snarling at being neglected for so long.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He whispered to Avalon, nudging her with his elbow.

Avalon turned to the donut, and while her saliva swelled at the sight of it, her stomach churned in revolt at placing anything inside it. Shaking her head weakly, she placed her head on her arms once again, leaning on the table.

"Miss?" A voice said. Avalon turned towards the sound of the voice, the small figure of the waitress standing in front of her.

Not saying anything, she placed a Styrofoam cup in front of her, her mouth shut. "Free of charge," She finally said, shyly.

Looking down, Avalon saw the Styrofoam cup was filled to the top with tea, the creamy liquid exhaling steam.

Avalon felt her eyes well up. This women, who didn't know anything about her, did something that changed her life. To the waitress, it was probably nothing, just giving a cup of tea to her only customer of the night.

But to Avalon? It showed that there was still some goodness in the world.

"Thank you," She whispered, turning towards the waitress, a single tear seeped out of the corner of her eye.

The waitress smiled kindly, before turning away towards the kitchen. Curling her fingers around the cup of tea, small tears fell down Avalon's face. Wiping them away with the back of her hand, she sipped the tea, feeling the twisted, nauseating sensation in her stomach loosen slightly.

Alex had quickly finished the remaining donuts, and was now finishing off his now cooled hot chocolate.

"Avalon," He started. "How are we going to get to the place where you said we were going?"

Avalon sipped from the cup, turning towards Alex. She had dried her eyes and removed any evidence of tears before he noticed. "I don't know," She admitted.

"It's not a Muggle place, so we can't just hail a taxi," She stated. "I guess we'll have to walk there, I remember how to get there,"

"But, what about your arm?" Alex gasped, pointing to it as if it would fall off at any second, which, bearing in mind most likely would.

"We'll make it," Avalon shrugged, not really wanting to focus on her arm until they were safe. For all she knew, Death Eaters could be crawling around London looking for them.

"Let's go,"

Savouring the last few gulps of tea to settle her stomach and her pounding arm, she got Alex to climb onto her back. Feeling safer and prepared in case they met some unwelcomed visitors, Avalon kept her wand in her left hand. Alex wrapped his pyjama-clad legs around her waist, clinging his arms around Avalon's neck. Leaving a couple pounds behind for a tip, Avalon made her way out, her tattered converses slapping onto the ground.

Slumping forward, Avalon cringed as Alex's weight caused her to stagger. Hiking him up so she got a better grip, Avalon walked forward slowly, trying not to hiss in pain or alert Alex that she _was _in pain.

Loosing her footing whilst trying to get used to Alex's added weight, Avalon slipped in front of her, her wand shooting out at her side. Tumbling forward, she luckily landed softly onto her left side, not the side of her injured arm.

"Are you okay?" Alex said quickly, helping Avalon up. She nodded her head, wincing she felt a small jolt of pain on the left side of her hips; there would definetly be a bruise there tomorrow.

A thundering sound startled Alex, causing him to seek refuge behind Avalon. A purple bus squeezed past other Muggle vehicles, making a screeching sound as it went past. Alex covered his ears, hiding his face in the dimple of Avalon's back.

The bus stopped in front of them, with a blaring white sign saying 'Knight Bus'.

A lanky teenager with warts and spots came to the opened door, pulling out a flash card. "Welcome' ter the Knight Bus, used ter 'elp stranded witch and/or wizards ter get ter their destination. I am Eerny Gump, as you can see from my name tag, and I will be your designated 'elper." He said, all in one long monotone voice.

Avalon stared at the bus, her eyes not knowing where to look. Eerny looked at her with a weird expression, "You gettin' on or what?"

"Yes," She said quickly, getting over her surprise. "Just a little shocked that's all,"

She placed Alex down inside the Knight Bus, her eyes taking in every piece of the magical bus. There were beds lined up against the windows, curtained windows, and candles burning in brackets beside each bed. Pulling a barefooted, pyjama-clad Alex along, she smiled weakly at Eerny, before sitting cautiously at one of the vacant beds.

"What're you surprised 'bout?" He said, standing opposite the bus drive, an aged man who seemed like he couldn't see anything.

"Didn't even know I summoned the bus,"

"It's simple really," Eerny explained. "You just point yer wand like this," He demonstrated. "Sorta like 'em Muggles with their fancy taxis,"

Avalon thought back to when she had tripped and fallen down with her wand in hand, unconsciously making her 'hail' the bus. "I guess I did make that signal without realising it,"

"S'alright." Eerny said. "Most people do,"

"So, where are we off to then?"

Avalon looked down at the sleeping figure of Alex, who had fallen asleep as soon as she had sat down on one of the beds. She ran her fingers through his soft, chocolate curls, breathing out slowly as she replied. "Godric's Hollow please,"

* * *

Avalon sighed, thanking Eerny as she exited the Knight Bus, Alex still fast asleep in her arms. Daybreak had exploded over the horizon, making last nights horrors seem like it never happened.

Avalon wished that were the case.

Tatted, shivering, bruised and bloody, she limped down Godric's Hollow, careful not to wake Alex up, or touch her injured arm. He had fallen asleep on Avalon's back sometime since they passed Diagon Alley. The constant sound of his deep breathing comforted Avalon, as she watched the Knight Bus vanish away.

Eerny seemed to not be surprised that Avalon was in a sling, he did gave her some pain killers, and while they did wonders on numbing some of the pain, they didn't do much on healing the wound.

Athena had parted ways with them, doing what owls usually do in the daytime, although, Avalon swore she saw Athena a couple times just flying above them.

Godric's Hollow was a pictorial place. Houses and cottages that looked like they had been taken straight from the Victorian Times were scattered all around the Hollow. Cobblestones were covering the floor; its uneven ground difficult to walk on but looked brilliant nonetheless.

At the centre was a large statue of Godric Gryffindor, and right behind him was a Church not far off, with a graveyard that had Iron Gates guarding it. Godric's Hollow was decorated in golden banners and colours of red, however it was eerily silent, something that seemed strange, considering that this was the birthplace and city of Godric Gryffindor.

Walking towards a little cottage, secluded from the rest of the Hollow, Avalon sighed, wishing she looked much more decent. The cottage was almost picturesque, filled with a garden with roses and daises. Cracking the gate open, Avalon was hesitant to walk down the cobbled steps.

Summoning up the courage that she did not realised she possessed; Avalon stumbled across the cobble-stoned steps, staggering under the weight of Alex's body. Almost tripping over with Alex's added body weight, plus the fact she had lost a considerable amount of blood, she almost knocked herself into the cottage's red door.

Hooking Alex up higher as to get a better grip on him, Avalon rang the doorbell, hoping she wouldn't be turned down.

The red door popped open hesitantly, and a young face emerged from behind. With stark raven hair and skin the colour of a bronze coin, Maislee Hawthorne emerged, her face twisted in suspicion and anxiety.

"Aunt Maislee…" Avalon whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. It was like a switch bulb came on, as Maislee's face twisted from suspicion and worry to complete utter relief and happiness.

"Ava," Her voice choked, as she placed a warm hand on Avalon's freezing cheek. Avalon had not realised she was trembling until she felt Maislee's warm touch, soothing her, the warmth spreading across her whole body.

"Shh," She responded. "You'll wake him up, Maislee,"

"Oh my Merlin!" Maislee cried again. "I thought- it's all over the Daily Prophet- I didn't know what to-,"

"Maislee!" Avalon cut her off quietly. "It's okay, we're here,"

Maislee smiled a watery smile, tucking her long dark hair over her shoulder. "Come inside then, you must be freezing!"

Maislee's small cottage was as warm and homely as Avalon had remembered. As soon as she walked through the front door, she was greeted with Maislee's warmly lit living room. There was a small wooden staircase at the end of the room, leading up towards the second floor. On Avalon's right was the doorway that led to the best part of Maislee's house, the dainty little kitchen that always smelled of baked goods whenever Avalon came to visit.

Maislee had tearstained tracks on her cheeks, and now new tears had flooded through as she watched Avalon brush away one of Alex's dark strands. Tears that were once filled with grief and sorrow, were now tears of hope and thankfulness; she was thankful that her godchildren where all right.

The loosely bandaged hand of Avalon, who was wincing under the weight of Alex, made Maislee's felt her heart pull as she saw that they had not come away from the attack unscathed.

"Shit," She swore, something that Avalon had never heard Maislee say. "What the hell happened to you?"

Avalon walked over to the couch, placing Alex down. She then proceeded to cover him with her jacket, before turning to her godmother. "Got splinched apparating away from the Death Eaters, Alex's fine but my arm is hanging of its bone,"

Maislee's eyes widened, as she immediately pulled Avalon by the shoulder to her kitchen. Maislee was a Head Healer at St. Mungos, so she had all the needed medicines at her house.

Avalon hopped onto the kitchen table, as she saw Maislee flitter around the supply cabinet, pulling out a large medical kit. Although daylight had spread across the night sky, Maislee lighted a couple of candles, the light casting a golden glow over Avalon's pale skin.

"I need to disinfect the wound," Maislee's voice became more serious, as she pulled out her wand to point it at Avalon's injured arm.

Her face was plastered with concentration as she used her wand to carefully unhook the sling, tightening the hold of her wand as she saw how the paper towels underneath were coated with splatters of scarlet blood. Untying the paper towels, Maislee clenched her teeth when she saw what state Avalon's hand was in.

The skin had begun to heal naturally, although it didn't do much good. The entire skin had been cut so deeply that her white bone could be seen through the meet. Luckily, no veins were cut; otherwise she would have bled out by the time she had reached Maislee.

Gulping down, she inspected the wound, pulling her dark hair behind her face with a small band. "How did you even apparate? I'm sure they don't teach that till Seventh Year,"

"They don't," Avalon replied. "I-, I just needed to get out of there, needed to get _us _out of there,"

"I didn't know how I did it Maislee. All I know is that it worked," Avalon murmured, hissing when Maislee poked her wound with her wand.

"How long have you been splinched for?"

"Don't know," Avalon replied quietly, "Around 1 am,"

"Four hours?" She screeched, although she flinched herself at the volume of her voice.

Pulling out a vile of Essence of Dittany, she didn't hesitate before pouring the potion onto the wound. A choked sob burst through Avalon's throat as tears stung against her eyes. Her whole hand was in pain as if hot flames were dancing across them. Maislee grabbed Avalon's shoulder, keeping her in place.

Proceeding then to pull out a sharp needle, Maislee noticed how the colour had drained from Avalon's face. "You need stitches, it'll only hurt a little," she reassured, as she plunged the needle in the flame of a candle to sterilise it.

It would be a lie to say Avalon did not feel the needle; the cold metal piercing her skin made her toes curl and her teeth to clamp hard onto her bottom lip. Beads of sweat formed on the sides of her temples, as undeniable pain stabbed through her arm.

With a quick flick of her wand, Maislee tightened proper bandages around Avalon's wound, to make sure that the skin healed in the right place. Biting her lip, Avalon turned towards Maislee. "Was that really necessary?"

"Sorry, love," Maislee said. "If I told you before hand, it probably would've hurt more,"

Groaning in pain, Avalon hobbled towards the living room where Alex was, with the aid of Maislee. Sitting down opposite him, she started at him, her new sling tightly bandaged to her shoulder. Maislee hurried to get a blanket for Avalon, before placing them softly on her lap and turning towards the fireplace, tapping her wand towards it to make the flames bigger and brighter.

"I just heard the news not ten minutes ago. They're searching for you and your brother, although it'll be chalked up to another missing file," Maislee explained softly, pointing towards the Daily Prophet on the small tea table, next to Avalon's seat.

Picking up the paper, Avalon observed the front page. The big bold headlines just brought into reality on what had happened, _Auror Jasper Summers and Wife Murdered._ The pictures were of her father, as he smiled with the rest of his co-workers on their last day before his Holiday. A few faces Avalon could recognise, one being Mad Eye Moody and a few others which Avalon identified through her father's work.

"They found the guy who killed him though," Maislee said, sitting on the armrest of Avalon's chair. "Lasawoski his name was I think."

Avalon closed her eyes; streaks of a malicious leer bright in her mind, with flashes of dark green and silver there too.

"Yeah," Avalon shook, trembling. "That's him,"

Silence engulfed them as memories engulfed Avalon. Her resolve seemed to break as her body began to tremble.

"We-, we saw them get killed." Maislee covered her mouth with her hand, her throat choking. She knew that should be comforting Avalon, reassuring her, but right at this moment, all she could do was stay silent, her body paralysed.

"We heard them kill Mum, her screams, they still ring in my ears," She cried. "I can't close my eyes for a second, because all I can hear is her screams. And Dad-" Even saying the word made Avalon quiver, holding her shoulders together to stop the shaking. "They killed him right in front of us." She lowered her head down, curling her body up into a fetal position.

"No matter how much we pleaded, how much we begged, they just laughed at us," Avalon finished, looking straight ahead, her eyes glossed over. "They actually laughed, like it as a game, as if it was fun,"

"They aren't human Avalon," Maislee said, crouching in front of her. She looked her in the eye when she spoke; her face was wild as she grabbed Avalon's shoulders. "They don't have the things we do; love, hope, humanity, life. Things that make us human, they don't have,"

"How-, how can someone be so cruel?" Avalon said, looking up into Maislee's hazel eyes.

"I don't know sweetie," She whispered hoarsely, wrapping her arms around Avalon's body, as if to protect her from the outside world.

"They're gone," Avalon chocked out, sobbing into Maislee's arms. "They're actually _gone_,"

Maislee couldn't say a thing as she felt the same pain that Avalon felt. Closing her eyes, she buried Avalon's head into her shoulder.

They both cried silent tears that night.

* * *

A scratching nose startled Avalon, awakening her from unconsciousness. Her dreams had been scattered with haunting nightmares of the murder of her parents. Her sleep had been non-existent; every time she closed her eyes, she could hear the sounds of her mother's screams echoing her ears or the flashes of her father's limp body falling to the floor.

Yawning awake, Avalon sighed in relief when she saw Alex's sleeping form opposite her on the sofa, clutching the daisy he had brought to life in his curled hands, before she turned back to the noise that had awoken her.

Athena's ethereal-like wings greeted her, her beak tapping against the window of Maislee's living room. In an instant, despite the pain she felt all over her body, she ran towards the window were Athena currently was waiting for her, slipping the window open to allow her to enter the room.

She tittered, pecking Avalon's finger when she was let into the room. Spreading her shadowy-black wings out, she hooted quietly, circling Maislee's living room.

It was a fairly small room, with the roof sloping down in a cottage-like fashion. The room was built with one of the walls completely covered in cobblestone, with a small coffee table in the centre, which was surrounded by a single sofa where Alex's sleeping body lay. There was a fireplace that was burning bright, the flames creating the only source of light in the dark room.

Avalon's whole body was weak from the loss of blood she had sustained over the course of night; she slowly made her way back to the armrest in front of the fireplace, covering her body in a thick blanket that Maislee must have draped over her when she had fallen asleep. Athena chirped on her shoulder, pecking Avalon's ear affectionately.

"Where've you been, huh Athena?" Avalon whispered quietly, stroking Athena's snow-white wings. She squawked in response, nipping the tip of Avalon's finger tenderly.

Letting Athena flutter around the room, Avalon sat at the foot of the bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her father's journal was lying on her lap, the pale pages frayed and scruffy.

Keeping an eye on Alex for a second, Avalon flipped through the pages, not really reading the words but just looking at her father's scruffy handwriting. It was barely legible, and there were still sentences that were half finished.

"What so important about this bloody book?" She murmured to herself, tracing the detailed drawings on the pages.

This journal wasn't a workbook or anything of the sort, it was her Father's journal, - not a diary, Jasper was very clear on that. _Men _don't have _diaries_ apparently, only journals. Avalon remembered her father saying that it was just something he doodled in whenever he was bored.

It was nothing special at that moment in time, but now, it was one of the things that reminded Avalon of him.

His illegible scrawls brought comfort to her, as silent tears dripped on to the pages. Burying her body deeper into the armchair, Avalon absentmindedly ran her hand over the frayed pages, slowly tracing each individual letter with her finger.

The comfort of her father's journal slowly seeped away, as she harshly smeared crystal tears away from her cheeks. Her dark sapphire eyes closed, as she slammed the book shut, slipping it on to the small wooden table in front of her.

Athena rested in her lap, curling her body into Avalon's embrace. Hearing the constant snores of Alex, Avalon stared up at the ceiling of Maislee's living room, her eyes void of any emotion as a cold mask of vacancy covered her face.

* * *

_Here lies Jasper Matthew Summers,_

_1941 - 1978_

_A beloved Husband, Father, Son and Friend,_

_And Katherine Haughton-Summers, _

_1943 – 1978_

_A wonderful Wife, Mother, Daughter and Sister._

_They shall forever live on in our memories and our hearts. _

Avalon held Alex's hand tightly; breathing out slowly, as if by doing so would dispel away the excruciating pain that draped over her entire body.

She looked awful. Her golden hair was clean, but fell limply to her shoulders, straw-like. Her cerulean eyes were dark, opaque bags marring her translucent skin; and her skin- her skin was a sickly pale like the pages of an old, tatty book. Avalon seemed more like a dead body than anything underneath the ground; the only sense of warmth she felt was the small hand that gripped hers tightly.

Alex stood next to her, his head not even reaching Avalon's hip. He sniffled, the end of his nose turning red as he turned towards Avalon's body, burying his face to hide from the burial in front of him.

Holding back her tears, Avalon closed her eyes as they lowered the casket down. Her parents were being buried together, with only a few people scattered around to attend the funeral. Her Grandmother was there, being comforted by her Aunt Zoe, Muggles who still knew nothing of the Wizarding World or the truth behind their lost loved ones death.

Maislee stood behind Avalon, her warm hand on Avalon's shoulder, showing her presence when Avalon needed her most.

Most of the people attending where from her Father's Department, all who seemed to have solemn faces smeared on, but none that seemed to cry. Too many Aurors have died in the last couple months; it was becoming horribly expected.

As the casket was buried, Avalon's grandmother screeched, her legs collapsing beneath her as she fell to the ground.

"Nana," Alex cried, as he looked at his grandmother. Avalon and he rushed towards their sobbing grandmother, their arms encircling her fragile body.

"A mother should never outlive her baby!" She screamed towards the sky, as if she was screaming at an ethereal being. "A parent should never have to witness the burial of their child!"

"Nana!" Alex sobbed, scared and heartbroken as he hid behind Avalon's body, releasing his grandmother. Aunt Zoe tried to calm her down, although she looked as if she would collapse at any moment too. Avalon's hand reached the top of Alex's head, patting slowly as she turned towards her Grandmother.

"It's not fair Nana," Her voice was hoarse, thick with unshed tears. They slowly began to fall as she saw her Grandmother's broken face stare up at Avalon's. "It's not fair,"

The four members of a broke family sobbed, their arms wrapping around each other. Avalon knew it hurt her Grandmother seeing her; she was the spitting image of the child her grandmother had lost.

"Why did they have to leave- It's not fair!" Alex's body shook, as he gripped his Grandmother's waist, wailing into her stomach.

Maislee's throat constricted as she turned away from the family, tears rolling down her cheeks. The dark sky passed over the graveyard, the sun concealed in a layer of thick clouds. Small droplets fell to the ground, as if the heavens were crying for the loss of a family.

Avalon looked up at the sky, her arm hung tightly around her brother's shoulder as she let her salty tears combine with the heavy rain that fell freely.

She wondered if the emptiness and pain in her heart would ever leave.

* * *

_**End of Part Two**_


	3. I: Insensate

I

**_Insensate_**

_[English], lacking physical sensation, sense or reason, sympathy or compassion; unfeeling_

* * *

Cautiously dragging her trolley towards the crowded platform of 9¾, Avalon kept her head down, tugging at the hem of her black woollen jumper. Alex was sitting inside her trolley, perched on the end. Athena hooted in front of him, angry at being locked in a cage. Alex petted her silky feathers, calming her rage.

He was grinning madly, as Avalon pushed the trolley so that it went faster. He hardly smiled these days; it was always precious when he did though. Grinning brightly towards Avalon, he gripped the edge of the trolley, squealing when she pushed the trolley quicker.

"Faster Ava! Faster!" He yelled happily, his arms outstretched outwards. His gleeful mirth was a welcomed change to the gloom that had erupted across the Wizarding World.

"Be careful guys!" Maislee said from behind, panting as she came up behind them. Her chocolate hair was swept up into a messy bun, and her beautiful bronzed skin was clean of any makeup. A hefty sigh left her as she tugged her robes closer around her, rolling her eyes as Avalon pulled the trolley to a stop. She lowered her head, letting a blonde curtain of hair hide her from the world. Maislee smiled ruefully at her, pulling Alex off the trolley, and placing an arm on Avalon's shoulder.

"You will be careful won't you?" Maislee said, hugging Avalon by her shoulder.

She nodded in response, still keeping her head down. Pulling at the hem of her blue cloak, she glanced up at Maislee sheepishly.

Alex rolled his eyes, "Course she will Aunt Maislee! She's Ava, she won't leave me,"

Maislee smiled down at her godson, ruffling his dark coffee hair. The air between them seemed to thicken as the memories of summer came shooting past their mind. They seemed cut of from the outside world, just the three of them in a small bubble.

Alex seemed to sniffle, before launching himself at Avalon's legs, wounding his arms around them tightly. "You won't leave me, will you?" He said quietly, eyes flashing with tears. "You'll write to me everyday? And you'll be home by Christmas?"

Avalon picked him up by his arms, and pulled him in for a tight hug. "Where else will I go if I leave you?" Her voice was coarse, barely above a whisper, as if it was her first time talking in days. Her arms tightened around Alex's small body, breathing in his scent that reminded her so much of home.

"I'll miss you," Alex sweetly spoke, nestling himself into the crook of Avalon's neck.

Avalon mouth involuntarily let out a small smile, "Me too,"

Pulling back, Avalon handed Alex back to Maislee, before an emotionless veneer cast across face. "Look after him, please Maislee,"

She moved her head once, before gripping Alex's hand. "I promise Ava, now, you look after yourself as well please. Alex and I won't be around anymore to remind you to eat and sleep,"

Avalon nodded, hugging her Godmother tightly, before ruffling Alex's dark chocolate hair as a farewell.

"You know, you could stay with us for a few months, let what's happened sink in. The teachers know what happened, they wouldn't mind." Maislee proposed, almost hopefully.

"Who doesn't know what's happened?" Avalon grimaced, a frown marring her face. "It's like giving up, Maislee. I'm not giving them the satisfactory of ruining my life anymore than they already have. Besides, it's my last year."

Maislee nodded slowly, tucking Avalon's flaxen hair behind her ear. "You strong you know,"

"Just like dad?"

Maislee laughed, "No actually, just like your mother. Who else would be able to keep your father's ego in check?"

* * *

Sirius grinned, as he watched James run like a madman down the platform of 9¾. He cackled when he saw James trip over his feet, falling flat on his face. Walking leisurely towards his best friend, winking at the odd girl who caught his attention, Sirius grabbed James by the forearm, smirking as he dusted James off.

"James, Evans is going to reply the same way she always does," Sirius said with an eye roll. "Besides I thought you gave up with that after The Giant Squid Incident last year."

James scoffed, "I know that. I gave up on her that day. Still doesn't mean I don't like getting a rile out of her reaction to me," His smirk had widened considerably as they caught the hunched figure of Remus Lupin and his tattered school robes, who strolling beside him, Peter resided, bundling towards the two.

"It's been ages, mate!" He clapped Sirius on the back. "How's the life of solitude?"

"Laugh all you want Wormtail, jealousy becomes you. Besides, just listen to the sound of it. My own apartment, no one to tell me what to do, my manly musk surround-"

"Okay Padfoot," Peter's nose turned up. "We've _smelt_ enough of your _manly musk _for a lifetime. Besides, I never got to tell you about those _la beaut__é _I met in Paris."

"Oh la la,"

Remus grinned at the pair as they chatted, before turning to look over at James. His friend's attention seemed to be on searching the crowd that fumbled along the platform.

"Oi, James!" Peter bumped the boy in the stomach, rolling his eyes as James pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "What was it that was so important you had to tell us face to face instead of Owling?" Remus quizzed, the gentle curve of his eyebrow quirking up.

"Oh yeah," James rubbed the back of his neck, before pulling out a badge from his pocket. "So, whose prank is this?" He held up the shining, dark scarlet badge, golden cursive trimmings surrounding the bold 'Head Boy' in the centre.

"Ew, what is that?" Peter hid behind Remus, as the boy in turn glanced towards the badge, grinning internally.

"You're the Head Boy? Merlin, Evans' going to get a kick out of this!"

James rolled his eyes. "You guys are ridiculous. I don't even believe its true. But because of you, Mum's been bragging to everyone. Do you know how embarrassing it will be when we find out who the real Head Boy is?"

"James… It wasn't us." Remus shook his head.

"It would have been a bloody brilliant prank though," Sirius grumbled.

"So what? You guys think it's real?"

"Come on, Dumbledore's not that old. Well, he might be – but he has to have at least some common sense-"

"James, did you get the letter?" Remus asked. James nodded handing over the letter to Remus.

"Dear Mr James Fleamont Potter," Remus read out, snickering at James' middle name. "_We would like to congratulate you for your selection to be Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Class of 1978-1979. You will be expected to be a role model for the younger students as well as for your peers, on top of your responsibilities as Quidditch Team Captain. With exemplary character and a quirk of humour, we expect your last year here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be your finest year to date. Sincerely, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,_ _Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_." Remus grinned up at the boy, Peter's jaw slackened and Sirius seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

Sirius grinned at his best friend. "Prongs, you poor sod. You're Head Boy."

"_Shit_." James whispered.

* * *

Avalon rolled her neck slowly, fighting the urge to run back to the comfort of Maislee's house. She could already hear the whispers around her, and the pitying looks cast towards her.

"Who's Evans?" A voice said behind her said. Turning around at the sound of her friend's name, she caught the sight of the Marauders, along with warm, plump looking women, a scarlet robe falling to her feet. Euphemia Potter's chirpy voice came from behind them, grinning mischievously at the boys. Immediately, Avalon tuned them out, focusing on Alex's tight grip on her hand.

James immediately reddened. "No one, Mum,"

"This girl he's been pinning after since third year Mrs P," Remus grinned. Euphemia's eyes turned into crescents as she turned towards James, clasping her hands together with joy.

"Why have I only found out about this today? You must introduce me to her!"

"Mum!" James groaned. "I don't like her. Remus is just pulling your wand,"

Euphemia tilted her head to the side as she observed her only child, her dark hair falling elegantly around her shoulders. She twisted her cloak around her body, smiling softly at her son. Smoothing out a strand of his hair that refused to comply, she chuckled slightly. "You look just like your father, dear. Please be careful this year, storms are coming."

"I know Mum." James mumbled, before wrapping his arms around his mother tightly, swiftly placing a kiss on her cheek.

Euphemia laughed again, before turning towards the other three. "Okay boys, no mischief okay?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Euphemia," He turned her hand around, teasingly kissing the back of it. "You age like fine wine. Do not despair; I know you'll miss me too much. I'll send you a toilet seat to remember me by," He grinned cheekily at her.

"You wouldn't dare to, Sirius Black. Or it'll be a Howler from me." Eyes narrowing she ruffled Sirius' shoulder-length hair, the smile escaping her lips barely hidden. He let out a sound of annoyance, scrunching his nose up and moving behind James for protection, albeit, it did little to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks and the warmth that flooded his body.

"Okay, boys, are you sure you've got everything?" Mrs Potter worried, pulling James' cloak tighter around him. "Where's your badge, Jamie? You should wear it with pride! Remus, look after him please," She pleaded with the boy, who smiled in response. "Don't worry Mrs P, I'll keep an eye on him."

They turned away from the nagging mother of James Potter, (who was trying to straighten Sirius' tie and smooth James' hair at the same time), quickly rushing towards the Hogwarts Express as it puffed a large warning sign that its departure was imminent.

"Behave you four!" She yelled towards them. "If I get a letter from either one of you, I'll confiscate your broomsticks before you can even say 'Quidditch'!"

"Okay Mrs P!" Sirius yelled back, grinning. He turned back towards the way he was looking, not seeing a little hooded figure walking his way. They collided within seconds.

"Watch where you're going, love." Sirius steadied the girl, gripping her forearms to stop her from falling.

The first thing Sirius noticed was that she was tall, well taller than average, he supposed. Her head reached just under his nose, long legs that seemed to never stop. A spiral of golden wisp-like hair fell from her neck, falling as far as her elbows. Her eyes snapped towards him, a familiar shade of blue he couldn't recall from where he had seen. A peculiar crown of cerulean found its way towards him, crackling with energy that Sirius had never seen before. It widened on contact, small fair lashes fluttering against the hollow ground beneath her eye sockets. She bit her lip, slowly disentangling herself from him.

"Sorry about that," She murmured, her voice surprisingly husky. She turned away from him, tugging the hem of her jumper as she pulled her trolley inside the train. Not once did she look back at the boy who continued to watch her as she left.

Sirius looked back as the small figure disappeared down the platform, a mixture of curiosity filling him. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned towards the impatient voice of James Potter, unable to stop the familiarity of the girl to take over his mind.

* * *

Running her fingers through her scarlet locks, Lily Evans tugged her uniform straight, the crimson-red _Head Girl_ badge pinned perfectly onto her cloak pocket. As she pulled her trunk towards the baggage area of the train, she bundled quickly towards the Prefect's Compartment, excitement filling her.

She was Head Girl. It was a fact she had hardly been able to believe when the letter had come with Ringo, (yes, she named her owl after the beautiful drummer of the Beatles, who, according to Lily, was extremely underrated).

She couldn't wait for the year to start.

Upon seeing Dorcas, Lily let out a small smile. She didn't really know what to call Dorcas; she hardly spent time with her, what with the fact that she had a new boyfriend for what seemed like every week. But she always stayed with her, before Dorcas got dragged of with her other Gryffindor friends.

Dorcas waved at Lily, her raven hair curling behind her. She then turned back towards a sixth-year Ravenclaw, quiet tall for his age, and smacked a big kiss on his cheek. Winking at his stunned expression, she sauntered back to Lily, a smirk on her face.

"Lily dear," She said, linking her arms with Lily's. The Ravenclaw she was just talking to was lugging both her and his trolleys' inside the train. "How was your summer?"

Lily groaned, banging her head on Dorcas' shoulder. "Terrible," She replied.

Dorcas winced, seemingly realising it was about Petunia. "Ouch,"

"Ouch indeed. I met Vernon, her boyfriend for the first time. He is a menace I swear. I don't understand what my sister sees in him." Lily sighed in agreement, before turning towards Dorcas, seemingly forgetting the impending wedding for the moment. It was then that Dorcas saw the Head Girl badge that was shining on Lily's cloak.

"Oh my gosh Lily!" Dorcas said, pulling Lily into a little too tight hug. "Congrats, love,"

Lily blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. "Thanks," She muttered shyly. "I better get going to the Prefect Meeting, I'll see you later?"

Dorcas smiled, albeit it didn't really reach her eyes. Just as Lily was about to question her, she remembered Dorcas aversion to Prefects or more importantly a _specific_ prefect. "I better go see if Lucas is okay." Pointing towards the sixth-year Ravenclaw she was with earlier, she sent a wink to Lily, running back to Lucas' awaiting arms. "See you later, sweetie."

"Bye," Lily waved her fingers, before sighing. She should have known not to mention anything that closely related to prefects around Dorcas. Rolling her neck to get rid of the pain that had already built up, she made her way through the train.

"Avalon!" She called out, seeing the blonde-haired girl at the end of the train. "Save me a seat!"

The girl nodded, before turning away from Lily. It was in that moment that she noticed all the stares that were directed towards her friend. Everyone seemed to know something about her, something that she didn't know.

Lily really hated not knowing things.

"Oi Evans!"

Merlin, she really hoped it wasn't who she thought it was.

"What do you want Potter?" She said, turning on her heel to face James.

He smirked that boyish smile of his, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing Evans, just coming to the Prefects meeting with Remus."

Lily screwed her nose up, "Why would you be doing that?"

Remus smiled helplessly, "He's Head Boy Lily,"

James grinned, holding his finger up in a scolding manner. "Read it and weep, Evans," He pointed to the badge on his cloak, almost identical to her own badge (the only exception being the words _Head Boy_ written over them). He smiled cheekily at Lily, noticing her corresponding _Head Girl_ badge and could stop the grin from escaping his lips.

"You- what-, how is that even possible?"

"Ouch," James cringed. "I'm hurt Evans. Dumbledore gave me this position because he believes I will be _a role model for the younger students and my peers_,"

"Then he's seriously off his rocker,"

"That's exactly what I said, Lily dearest," Sirius said, popping up from behind James. He seemed slightly out of breath, with Peter tumbling up behind him, but turned with sparkling silvery-grey eyes towards Lily. James hit him over the head, grumbling under his breath that he wasn't helping.

"Aw, I'm sorry Jamsie-boo,"

"Get lost,"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your couple spat," Lily interjected, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand, "But honestly. Did you spike Dumbledore's pumpkin juice to get this?"

James started. "Please, Evans darling-"

"-We did that last year at Halloween," Sirius ended for him, high fiving James' expecting palm.

Lily rolled her eyes, clenching her fists together. Remus, now, Remus she could understand being Head Boy, but _Potter_? He was everything opposite a Head Boy, he broke the rules, he promoted troublemaking, and he bloody ripped up the rulebook and set it on fire, _literally in fourth year_.

What was Dumbledore thinking?

* * *

Lily Evans slammed the door of the only empty compartment closed, a dark rush of red creeping around her cheekbones. Startling the only occupant of the compartment, Lily took a deep breath to calm her anger.

"James Potter is the most insufferable, intolerable, sorry-excuse of a Head Boy I have ever-," Lily never finished the sentence, as she took a closer look at one of her close friends.

Avalon was the only one in the compartment, a rarity in the way that there even was a compartment spare. Soft tunes of an old Beatles song fluttered around them, although Lily knew that as soon as the train came closer to Scotland, the Muggle radio would suffer interference from the magical borders.

There was no soft euphemistic way that Lily could put it – Avalon looked horrible.

From far away, Avalon seemed fine. Up close however, Lily could see the darkened bags around her eyes, and the pale sheen her skin had taken. Her hair, whilst clean and brushed, was limp. Her usually golden hair fell past her shoulders, the colour of white clouds on a stormy day. But it was Avalon's eyes that caused Lily to cease her rants. Her former shade of thin watery blue had turned into a stark azure, such a deep bright colour that Lily wondered if they had always been so intense. They were most definitely empty shells of her former self, the inky black pupil surrounded by a rim of electric indigo. Dark shades of cobalt flashed through the iris, as her eyes glazed over.

"Avalon, are you okay?"

The girl smiled weakly at Lily, but it did not miss her queen eyes the way Avalon's fingers hovered over covered arm uncertainly. She shook her head, as if to clear thoughts, before replying with more enthusiasm "I'm fine Lily."

"Avalon… are you sure?"

"Honest. Anyway, I'm more interested in how _Potter's_ an _'insufferable, intolerable, sorry excuse of a Head Boy' - _wait he's Head Boy?" Avalon's voice had risen only slightly, as she realised that James Potter and Head Boy were said in the same sentence was incredulous to her.

"Don't even get me started on that!" Lily grumbled, dropping opposite to the girl. "He came with Remus to the Prefect's Compartment, and I had right mind to tell him to bugger off. I was all excited when I got my Head Badge, then Remus drops the bombshell that he's the Head Boy and Potter's there with that infuriating smirk on his face and just ugh-!" Lily groaned, pulling at her ponytail in rage and winced as the pain as a few strands were yanked out too.

"Well _some_ find his infuriating smirk _sexy_,"

"Stop. Right there. Please tell me you are not one of those brainless groupies that follow his every move."

Avalon giggled at the disgusted look on Lily's face. "Don't worry, I always saw myself as a Remus kind of girl. It's the rugged charm,"

"You're _insufferable_." Lily threw her jacket at the girl.

"Come on Lil, your reactions are always great. Speaking of reactions, congratulations on getting Head Girl. You definitely deserve it Lil. And who knows, maybe Dumbledore gave it him so that he could sharpen up, you could be a good influence on him." Avalon winked at her then, knowing full well that the 'the curse of the Heads' annoyed Lily into a stupor.

"Don't get me started on that ridiculous curse, who bloody came up with that anyway? As if the Head Boy and Head Girl got together _every year._ Didn't Blackthorn last year go out with that fifth year Hufflepuff? He was Head Boy!"

"There's always exceptions Lily. But they come once in a lifetime, the statistics outweigh you I'm afraid. And I'm sorry but it seems like rumours have already started. Apparently, James had gone to your house in the summer, and you both confessed your undying love for each other."

"That's bloody ridiculous, I live in Cokeworth, _nothing happens there_. And you seem to be having a right kick out of this aren't you?"

"Come on, you know I stay away from the Marauders. They're hilarious to look at from the outside, but it seems like a lot to handle. Anyway, I thought you didn't hate James anymore? He barely spoke to you last year, I'd almost say you missed him."

Lily glared at her friend. "I never _hated _him, well maybe in fourth and fifth year. But last year, I dunno we sort of indifferent to each other. I spent most of my time with you in the library whenever he was around, so I guess it was the aftermath of the Giant Squid incident. I apologised and everything, but we just steered clear of each other last year."

"That's going to be difficult this year, and you know it. If you both are Heads, you'll be spending a lot of time together."

"Oh stop reminding me. I'd like a few peaceful hours Ooh!" Lily cried out. "I love this song," She grabbed Avalon by the hand and dragged her up as the soothing sound of John Lennon filtered through the compartment. With a flick of her wand, she amplified the sound of the Muggle radio.

"_Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover,_" She sang, spinning around with a wink sent to Avalon. "_Something in the way she woos me_, _I don't want to leave her now_, _you know I believe and how."_

"_Somewhere in her smile she knows, that I don't need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me_." Their voices joined in a brass shout of unmatched notes and tone-deaf pitches, beaming as they danced around the compartment, laughter breaking out of them.

Avalon grinned at Lily, her smile was so big and her stomach hurt from laughing so much. Trust Lily to make her feel better just by talking to her.

* * *

Edited: 2016-04-03


	4. II: Elmosolyodni

II

**_Elmosolyodni_**

_[Russian], (v.), to slowly break out into a genuine smile when being overcome with emotions, like love or utter happiness_

* * *

Avalon peeled her eyes open. Her body was concealed under her covers, as if to hide away from the nightmares that plagued her sleep, although no tears were shed. Her throat seemed as if it were on fire, and it felt as if her entire face had swelled to the size of a Bludger due to this. To top it of, it was a Monday.

_Dear Mondays,_

_Fuck you._

_Sincerely,_

_Avalon Summers_

Luckily, no one else was awake in the dorm yet; even Lily's small snores filled the dormitory. Marlene McKinnon was halfway off her bed, Alice Fortescue had the covers tangled with her legs and Dorcas Meadows was sleeping like a princess, her hands crossed delicately on top of her. Breathing through her nose, she braced herself for the impact of the cold floor, pulling out her bag of toiletries. It was around five in the morning, on the first day of school.

Grumbling under her breath, Avalon rubbed her eyes. Sure, she wouldn't have been able to get any sleep, but staying under the covers of her warm bed was more than welcoming.

Washing her face to rid any remains of last night horrors, she was met with her bloated face as a reminder that the memories would never leave her mind. Her pale hair was matted with sweat, sticking to the sides of her face. Her dark blue eyes were haunting, glossed over.

Rushing into the shower, she let silent tears fall down as the water washed away her body, the salt of her tears merging with the fresh water. All too soon she stepped out of the steaming comfort of the shower, her face fresher than before. Slowly pulling on her uniform, she quietly tided up the bathroom and exited back into the shared dormitories.

Swinging her cloak on, Avalon flittered around her sleeping roommates, grabbing her school supplies and pulling on her tattered combat boots. Slinging her schoolbag at her side, she ran a hand through her damp hair, before flicking her wand to wand-dry it.

Her tattered combat boots slapped against the stoned-floors of Hogwarts, the sound pounding against the empty halls of Hogwarts. It was a strange sight, Hogwarts empty. Having such a large place being empty was daunting, yet Avalon sort of preferred it like that. It was quiet, nice even, the silence.

Breakfast would be served as early as 7:30, and would end at around 8:45, giving students fifteen minutes to get to classes that started at 9:00. By 7:00, there would be a few early risers, such like Avalon, although the place wouldn't be completely crowded until around 7:45.

Avalon's stomach tightened at the thought of food. Yes, she loved the food Hogwarts provided, but everything she seemed to eat always had a way of coming right back up. She had lost weight the last few weeks since her parents' funeral; the only thing reminding her to eat was Alex's little nudge towards their secret stash of sugary sweets.

Placing a hand on her unsettled stomach, she turned towards the only place she could think. It seemed she would be missing breakfast, but in all honesty, the loud crowds always did make her feel closed in.

It took her a few minutes to reach the solid, plastered up wall. A few seconds passed in silence, before a large, black iron door presented itself from the wall. Cracking it open, Avalon stepped inside, dropping her schoolbag and running a shaking hand through her hair.

The Room of Requirement was always Avalon's hide out, especially during Lunch and Breaks. However, the Room seem to become a sort of lifeline for Avalon, especially as it was the first day back at Hogwarts.

_It is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. _Avalon could hear her father's voice, as clearly as if he was here.

_Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. _The memory of her father's Hogwarts' lesson the night before her first day at Hogwarts was fresh in her mind, bits and pieces of his smiling face flashing before her eyes.

Crying, she collapsed to the floor, clutching at the pain that robbed her mind. Tiny crystals of salty water fell from her eyes, as she looked around the Room of Requirement.

It had mimicked the heart of her home, the living room, before the Death Eater attack had destroyed the entire house. With walls of dark reds and flickering golden lights, it was surely a house of Gryffindor.

There was the old sofa that her Mother use to curl on when taking a rest from housework or when she had come back home from work, and her Father's old chair that was always too big for Avalon to sit in, even now.

It was evocative, bringing back memories of the night but also calming her down, weirdly enough. Staring around at the Room of Requirement's impersonation of her house, her chest seemed to pound with a force that made her eyes see black dots.

_It is always equipped for the seeker's needs._

She dragged herself further into the illusion of her home, closer to the warm embrace of her Father's chair, before she curled herself up into a ball and let heart-breaking sobs echo throughout the Room of Requirement, only to be answered by empty silence.

* * *

Sirius grinned cheekily, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. Hooking his arm around the shoulders of a pretty-looking Hufflepuff, he winked at her, walking casually towards the entrance of his Transfiguration class.

She giggled, twirling her hair between her fingers. "I'll see you later, Sirius," Sirius smirked that glorious smirk of his, crossing his arm over his chest.

"See you later babe,"

The young girl walked away, trying to act cool. But when she thought that Sirius was no longer watching her, she let out little excited squeals, running off to tell her friends about the encounter with the infamous Sirius.

He let out a little chuckle, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the Transfiguration door. James, Remus and Peter came towards him, Remus who was shaking his head disapprovingly, whilst Peter looked on adoringly.

"How many was that now?" James snickered. "That was probably the fifth girl I've seen you with, and school hasn't even technically started yet,"

Sirius shrugged, bumping the door open with his shoulder. "What can I say? I'm gifted,"

Remus scrunched his nose up in disgust. "You can't just go through girls like used tissues, that's demeaning Sirius,"

Sirius ruffled Remus' hair, albeit he had to stretch on to his tiptoes. Whilst Sirius was tall, Remus took lanky to a whole new level.

"Ah, poor innocent and naïve Moony," Sirius cooed, turning towards James with a mocking face plastered on.

James played on, pretending to wipe a fake tear. "I thought I raised you better,"

"Ahem,"

Professor McGonagall was behind them, a single eyebrow lifted up and her index finger tapping the inside of her crossed arms. Her wrinkle-riddled, weathered face added to the stern expression she currently had on, which only amplified with her tightly pulled, grey bun. Her emerald green cloak swivelled behind her as she walked through the aisle of students, all silent except for the latecomers, the usual suspects: Marauders.

"What time do you call this, boys?" Professor McGonagall asked. Sirius smiled charmingly at his Head of House,

"Sorry, Minnie," He winked as he stood at the opposite end of the wall to Professor McGonagall where the rest of the students were. "I was just helping a fellow student on her way,"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips to hide the slight twitch of the smile that was trying to break through, "I am sure, but seeing as your friend, Mr Potter is the newly appointed Head Boy and Mr Lupin is a prefect, I expect more of you,"

Sirius pouted his lips, "Aw, Minnie,"

"That's enough now," She said sternly. "You've already kept the lesson behind and we are having a new seating plan this year, hence why you are all standing up against the wall. Call it co-operative learning, if you will,"

Peter stuck close next to Remus, ruffling his mousy brown hair in a way that he had seen James doing not that long ago. Sirius and James grinned at each other, before making a big commotion of being split up.

"Oh Jamsie, how will I ever be able to leave your side?" Sirius called, gripping James' waist and mock sobbing into James' shoulder.

James patted him on the back, before replying. "Alas, it seems that we shall part ways now my dear Padfoot, but you shall always be in my heart,"

Remus pulled them apart, a dark blush on his cheeks at his friends' antics. He could see Lily Evans rolling her eyes at the commotion and knew that if James wanted to call Lily his own, then he'd have to stop fooling around, especially in class. "Stop it you two."

Professor McGonagall smiled at him in thanks, rubbing the headache that only a Marauder could give to her on the first day back at school.

"Now, I have assigned you to your new seats, there will be no exceptions unless I deem it worthy enough. Must I remind you that it is your NEWTs, and I expect a lot of high results from this year?"

The students murmured in reply, already dreading the deathly exams. The Transfiguration classroom was spacious and wide, with there being five rows of five at the centre of the room and McGonagall's blackboard in front of it.

"The seating plan is as followed, Daniel Abbot, up at the front please, next to Marlene McKinnon, followed by Henry Warrington,"

Marlene McKinnon stumbled as she made her way towards the front, blushing brightly as she saw everyone's eyes on her.

"With Lily Evans and then James Potter please," McGonagall said, finishing off the front row.

Lily felt her stomach drop as she saw James' giddy expression. Not giving any satisfactory to him, Lily spun on her heel and sat at her desk, completely ignoring him. "Professor, isn't there any chance I can move seats?"

"I think not, Miss Evans," McGonagall said curtly. "Seeing as both of you need to learn to work together, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself,"

"Seems like your stuck with me, love," James smiled cheekily at Lily, pulling his Transfiguration books out.

Lily scoffed, using her book as a shield to hide James' horrid personality.

"Next row, please,"

There were five people left now, leaning against the back wall. Remus and Peter had been separated, Remus behind James and Peter on the other side of the classroom.

Sirius sat near the end, before a small figure sat down next to him, keeping her head low. He recalled her name; Avalon Summers wasn't it?

_Summers? Oh_. Sirius came to the realisation on his own. Summers had been the name of the auror who had been killed by You-Know-Who over in August. It had been all over the Prophet. Sirius wondered if that had been her family or if it was a coincidence.

She kept her body facing towards McGonagall, her blonde hair covered her face from sight as she kept her head down, a Muggle contraption that seemed to hold ink inside a small, plastic case was in-between her fingers.

"Hi, I'm Sirius,"

The girl didn't respond, only the slight nod of her head in Sirius' direction reassured him that he had been heard. She turned to him, her eyes flickering over his face. It was then that Sirius caught the dark, azure eyes he had met on the platform that were engraved into his mind ever since. She gave him a small, sort of sad smile, before turning her attention back to McGonagall.

"Okay…" Sirius turned away when she didn't reply, feeling slightly confused but not dwelling too much as he felt Peter begin to pelt him with notes from the other side of the room.

"We shall be beginning with Conjuration."

* * *

Avalon sighed, turning her head away from the loud voices of the Great Hall and making her way up to the Astronomy Tower, one of her secret places other than the ROR.

An extra bag filled to the brim with food (that was given to her by the Kitchen Elves who always made her one every year so that she wouldn't have to sit in the hall- bless those Elves) was hanging over her shoulder, opposite her school bag.

As she made her way through the deserted corridors and took the gruelling task of climbing the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, Avalon exhaled out a large breathe of relief when the Hogwarts' September air washed over her face.

Pulling the hood of her cloak down, Avalon pulled out the rubber band that tied her flaxen hair back, ruffling her aching head. Turning to her corner of the Astronomy Tower, she didn't notice the shadowy figure that was watching her with mild curiosity at the other side of the Tower.

"You know…" The person spoke, his voice reaching Avalon's ear in a singsong sort of way. "You are the first person I've encountered who's completely ignored me or hasn't noticed me in anyway,"

Lifting her head up from her side of the Astronomy Tower, Avalon's face flushed as her mouth opened like a fish, popping open and closed. As she cleared her throat, Avalon stood up about to pack up her things to allow the stranger his privacy.

"No," He spoke, lifting his hand to stop Avalon. "I'll be going now,"

Avalon nodded her head, keeping her mouth completely shut. Of course she knew who this person was, she'd have to be living under a rock not to.

His broad shoulders were covered in a midnight cloak and a red and gold Gryffindor scarf was wrapped around his neck tightly. His spectacles were sliding down his slightly upturned nose, fogging up from the cold wind that hit his pale face.

He made no effort to move, and instead pulled a cigarette out from his cloak pocket, letting a stream of ashy smoke escape from his mouth. His hazel eyes were dejected, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

A cloud of silence enclosed them, neither opening their mouth to say a word. As the September afternoon passed before them, Avalon fidgeted in her seat, wondering whether to speak.

"Are you okay?"

His head snapped towards Avalon's brittle-like voice from across the Tower, her slouching figure propped against the wall with both her school bag and food bag sprawled in front of her. Her azure almond-like eyes were wide as she took in his worried and weirdly _ashamed_ face. He swallowed deeply, before taking a breath of his cigarette, the smoke rising from the corner of his mouth.

"No," He chocked out honestly.

He seemed stressed, his foot tapping against the floor and his body shaking from (what Avalon expected) **_not_** the cold. He bit the inside of his cheek, as if contemplating something. Gathering his wits, he turned towards the girl slowly, before his legs collapsed beneath him and he drew a large drag of the cigarette in his hand.

"You're Avalon Summers, aren't you?"

Avalon blinked like a deer caught in headlights, her voice surprisingly rough and loud. "And you are James Potter. It's nice that we know each others names, it's not like we've been in the same house for seven years."

"Not that – I just meant to say that I'm –" He cut off before he could finish his sentence. "The weather's shit lately."

"Huh, I hadn't noticed," She smiled slowly at him, looking over at the grey mist that seemed to erupt across Hogwarts. "Can't do much about it- British weather and all,"

"Yeah," He scoffed lightly. "Guess your right."

They were silent again for a moment, neither wanting to admit that they were glad they were not alone for once.

Crushing the cigarette between his thumb and finger, James pulled his arm back, throwing the discarded cigarette over the rail of the Astronomy Tower. Looking up, he clasped his hands together turning towards Avalon. He seemed to glance between Avalon and her bag.

With a rueful smile, she pulled an apple out of her bag, throwing it towards the boy who caught it swiftly. She almost whistled in appreciation at his quick reflexes. He grinned, crunching into his apple with such gusto, Avalon wondered if he had eaten breakfast at all. Pulling another out, she took a small bite and raised an eyebrow at James.

"So, why aren't you in the hall?"

"I could ask you the same, Marauder,"

"It gets a bit stuffy in there sometimes. Your turn."

"I don't really like the crowds," Avalon shrugged. "It's nice up here, if you exclude the coldness. Let's you think, lets you breath."

"I guess I should start coming up her more than,"

A silence had overtaken them once again, with dark thoughts filtering through Avalon's mind. _They were gaining power. They were after her father's journal. They want something so bad, that they would kill him for it._

"James?" She called out. "What… what would you do if you had something people would kill for?"

He turned towards her, before biting his lip to stop the grin that was taking place. "What, your good looks or those bright blue eyes?"

It was as if she was snapped out of her disposition. She rolled said eyes. "Of course not, it's obviously my charming personality."

"James, do you feel it?"

He looked at her in confusion for a second, before looking over at the grounds. The Quidditch courts could be seen from here, though the fog had caused it to seem menacing.

"Feel what?" There was a chill to the air, and for a brief, horrifying moment, it had felt like even Hogwarts was not safe.

"There's a storm coming. And I don't think I'm prepared for it."

* * *

_Edited: 2016-04-03_


	5. III: Vulpes

III

_**Vulpes**_

_[Latin], fox; craftiness; cunning_

* * *

"James!" Remus called out, as he and James made their way to a Prefect's Meeting before their next lesson. "Where were you at Lunch?"

James inconspicuously rubbed the side of his mouth, wondering if there was any food stains present. "I didn't feel like being around people; I still got lunch though,"

Remus sighed, nodding his head. Whilst he felt that James was telling him the truth, he felt as if he was holding back valuable information from him, like _where_ he was, or _who_ he was with.

"Hurry up," James shouted, snapping Remus out of his daydream as he rushed towards the Prefect's Meeting Room. "We're already late, and I don't want Evans biting my head off even more than usual,"

"You're late,"

Lily's words were cold and emotionless as they echoed against the silent room as soon as James and Remus opened the door. Rubbing the nape of his neck harshly, James smiled bashfully. "Sorry,"

"So," Remus said, breaking the tense silence that had fallen. "What's the agenda for the meeting?"

Lily's lips pursed as she deliberately faced away from James who was standing beside her, at his place. "Prefect Rotas,"

Remus rubbed his hands together, flinching slightly at Lily's cold voice. "Great," He sat down next to Marlene McKinnon, a girl he vaguely remembered, in his year. To be honest, Remus was positive that she was one of Sirius' old flings.

She flung her chocolate hair behind her shoulder, crossing her legs so that her skirt ridded up slightly. Sending a flirtatious smirk at Remus, she turned her attention back towards Lily and James, although sending side glances at him whenever she could.

Yep, definetly one of Sirius' old flings.

The next hour was spent unproductively, with James and Lily's bickers echoing through the Prefects ears as they waited for the Meeting to finish. In the end, prefect partners were decided at random from drawing lots out of a hat, (surprisingly which was James' idea).

Unfortunately for Lily, she had been partnered with James. Remus had been partnered with a spotty Six Year Ravenclaw, whose name he had forgotten as soon as he heard it.

"Must be fate trying to tell us something, Evans," James cooed, slinging an arm over Lily's shoulder.

"I suggest you remove your arm, Potter before I decapitate it,"

"Ouch," James smirked, removing his arm cautiously; he wouldn't joke with a furious Lily even if he were paid a thousand galleons.

A strangled noise left Lily's throat as she turned away from James, dismissing the meeting. As students flittered out of the room, Remus wondered why James' wasn't leaving. He motioned with his hands for Remus to wait outside for him, gesturing towards Lily who was currently tidying up the classroom. Remus shook his head, a smile flickering across his face as he left his friend behind.

"So…" James started to help move chairs back into their place with a flick of his wand, "How have you been Evans?"

Huffing in annoyance, Lily ignored James' question, purposely putting some distance between her and James. She didn't want to admit it, but he had helped her in the Prefect's Meeting today.

Building up the courage that made him a Gryffindor, James was determined. He had the nerve and it was just he and Lily left inside the Prefects Meeting Room.

Turning towards her, James beamed his cheeky, boyish smile as Lily began to tidy up the papers that were given to her by McGonagall. "Go out with me Evans,"

Lily scoffed, slamming the papers down on the desk, before stalking up to James.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the Giant Squid," She replied, her expression sour. How dare he have the nerve to ask her, just when she had actually started to tolerate him?

James looked away, his heart sinking. Walking towards the door, he kept his head down. Why on Earth did he think this time would be different?

Lily watched as James sullen expression flashed before her face, a deep feeling of guilt and of something unexplainable settling into the pit of her stomach as she watched him walk away.

"Jamsie!" Sirius shrieked, a large smirk stretching across his face as he leaned over to whisper in James' ear. "I know what you did at lunch,"

A slight look of confusion flickered over his face, as he quirked an eyebrow at Sirius. "What?"

Sirius smirked knowingly, nudging James' side. "A little birdy told me that you were having a picnic on the Astronomy Tower with a leggy blonde."

James eyes widened slightly, as he remembered his new friend. "Oh, that's just Ava,"

"Just Ava?"

"Yeah, my new friend. She gave me half her chicken sandwich, we just spent the time talking,"

Slapping the back of Sirius' head, James shook his head, ignoring Sirius' scoff. "She's seriously just a new friend, I've only met her today,"

"And yet your having lunch together?" Sirius pointed his finger crookedly at James, smirking slightly. "You sly little fox,"

Flushing, James' felt heat rush up his cheeks as embarrassment flooded through him. "I told you it's not that. Besides she's kind of friends with Evans,"

Sirius scrunched his nose up, crossing his arms over his chest. "And here I thought you'd actually gave up on your hopeless crush on Evans,"

"Oi!" James shoved Sirius further down the corridor. "She'll fall for me one day, besides tell me that prank you had in mind,"

A heart-stopping smirk flickered across Sirius' face, as he smirked at James. "It's not properly planned out, we still need to wait until the Hogsmede trip to get a few more things from _Zonko's_."

"And don't think you've changed the subject, who is this 'Ava'?" Curiosity burned through Sirius' body as he stared at James, his heart suddenly dropping at the thought of someone else becoming close to James- as if he was being replaced.

James read the thoughts of Sirius' mind like a letter, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Her names Avalon Summers, if that's what you wanted, and I just met her,"

A flare of crimson flashed before James, as harsh emerald eyes flashed before his eyes. Lily Evans' tall stature came storming towards James, as she dragged both her and Sirius away from the prying eyes of Hogwarts students.

Narrowing her eyes at James, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Who did you say?"

James smirked immediately, biting the inside of his cheek as he heard the undertone of jealousy in her tone. "Why are you asking? Are you perhaps, jealous Evans?"

Lily scoffed, holding her schoolbag tighter around her shoulder. She glared at James, completely ignoring Sirius who was feeling invisible around them.

"No, you said Avalon Summers, as in Ava- the girl who barely talks, why are you talking to her?" _More like how, _Lily wanted to add.

Avalon hadn't uttered a single word to Lily since the train journey, and she wondered why she would talk to James of _all_ people.

"Oh, that Avalon Summers!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping his hand as if he solved a big mystery. He butted in between them, standing so that his back was faced against Lily and blocking her sight from James. "She sits next to me in Defence, Potions _and_ Transfiguration, and she hasn't even said a single word to me since we've started school this week,"

"Good, at least she has some sense,"

"Shush, Evans let the big boys talk for a moment,"

"Sirius Black!"

James rolled his eyes, stepping between Sirius and Lily before they drew each other's blood. "If you don't believe me, go and ask her. Look there she is!" James raised his hand towards an approaching Avalon, who was currently staring at them, wide-eyed. "Avalon!"

Fear twisting inside the pit of her stomach as Avalon noticed people start to turn towards the loud James and start to see her. She hated large crowds, wizards and witch's beady eyes staring down on her. It reminded her of summer, when everyone would talk behind her back.

_There's the girl whose parent's died. I heard she went crazy. _

_Poor thing, I hope she's okay_

The voices were getting louder, as Avalon bit her lip. Fear pumped through her veins as she saw Sirius' silver eyes bore into hers. Her whole body became paralysed as she caught his eye.

Feeling her heart beat increase and her throat start to close up under the stares of too many people, she turned on the heel of her shoe and hurried down the corridor. She felt three particular stares burn into her back as she ran towards her sanctuary, hiding away from them.

"Wait, Avalon!" Lily yelled, hurrying after her. James knocked Sirius on the back, motioning for them to go the other way around and hopefully corner her.

Lily had almost caught Avalon, although due to the masses of students and Avalon's long legs, she had seamlessly evaded Lily, turning a sharp corner.

Lily turned around the crook of the corridor, expecting to find Avalon but instead witnessing James in her place, walking towards Lily with a smirk plastered on his face.

Quickly hiding back behind the wall as soon as she met his eye, Lily wondered where Avalon had gone. Sighing in defeat, Lily turned back to the hallway, seeing a smirking James walking towards her, Sirius pounding behind him.

As their eyes met, James couldn't help but tease her a little.

"See something you like Evans?" James said, puffing the collar of his cloak up as he walked passed.

Lily groaned, slinging her cloak over her shoulder, completely forgetting about finding Avalon and instead rolled her eyes at James. "In your dreams, Potter,"

They both stormed off in the same direction, completely forgetting the reason they were in the same corridor in the first place, and constantly giving each other glares. Sirius looked around the almost deserted corridor; he was sure he had seen Avalon - it was almost as if she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Running his fingers across the stoned wall of the corridor, he smirked slowly.

He could have sworn that there had been an iron door in the stoned wall a minute ago, but as soon as Avalon had disappeared, so had the door.

_Interesting_, Sirius thought, his mind plagued with Avalon's haunting blue eyes as he rushed to catch up with James.

"Avalon!" Lily's sharp voice echoed against the library halls. She threw her books onto the single table that was hidden in the corner of the library, her emerald eyes glaring at Avalon's hunched over shoulders.

Avalon stared up at Lily, making her eyes go wide. _Who, me?_

Lily rolled her eyes, seemingly used to Avalon's silent body language. "Yes you… why does Potter keep saying your friends with each other?"

Avalon shrugged, drumming her fingers against her cheek. Pulling out a notebook, she scribbled down some words, before flinging the notepad over to Lily who was sitting opposite her.

"I gave him a sandwich, that's all," Lily read, her voice echoing into Avalon's ears. "But he said you talked to him, and you've barely talked to me since the train ride, you're not even technically talking to me now,"

Avalon had remembered their conversation on the Astronomy Tower, but it seemed of little insignificance to her now. All she knew was that James seemed not as bad as Lily (and herself) had portrayed him to be.

She also remembered evading Lily as much as possible, in fact, she just remembered staying in the ROR for the majority of the week; she'd barely even _seen_ Lily since the train ride.

Nodding her head towards Lily in reply, Avalon turned back towards her Potions essay, biting the tip of her quill. Lily looked exasperated, as she raised both her eyebrows, making her almond-like iridescent eyes narrow.

Packing her things away, coldness seeped into Lily as she glared at Avalon's emotionless exterior. Even in their short encounter, Avalon hadn't spoken a single word to her.

What made James Potter _so_ special? Why did Avalon speak to him and not her?

Biting the inside of her lip, Lily turned away from Avalon, a single thought flickering across her mind.

A moment of silence passed before Lily snapped, her cheeks turning red. "Fine then!" Her voice was quiet but sharp, the sound echoing across the library. "Don't tell me,"

"What's happened to you Ava?" She muttered under her breath, her back facing Avalon as she stalked away from her table. "What happened during the summer that changed you so much?"

She pounded away from Avalon, anger seething through her veins. She wanted to scream at Avalon until her voice ran dry for being so stubborn; she felt as if she would explode if she stood in Avalon's presence anymore.

As soon as Lily's fiery, crimson head was out of the library, Avalon exhaled slowly, a dull ache thrashing against her skull.

It was harder than she thought- keeping up a mask of indifference.

Rubbing her temples absentmindedly, Avalon flinched as her fingers touched the cool skin. Sighing, she half-hoped that Lily would come pounding back into the library. She turned back towards her Potions essay, finding it all the more difficult to concentrate than before.

"Sirius!"

James' face broke into a wide grin as he marched his way towards his best mate, his hair windswept as he steadied his feet into a slow jog. Heaving a deep breath, he fell into step with an unexpectedly quiet Sirius.

"Padfoot!" James knocked Sirius' shoulder, causing the boy to stumble forward as he awoke from his daydreaming.

"What's on your mind?"

Sirius' shook his head, his hands clutching the Marauder's map. "Mischief managed," He tapped the tip of his wand at the centre of the parchment, before handing it over to James.

"Nothing, really," Sirius replied, his fingers gripping the map tightly.

"Nothing?" James smirked, crossing his arms over. "Can't say I'm surprised. I'd be worried if you were actually _thinking_about something,"

Sirius sighed for a moment, before turning towards James, a serious expression covering his. "Do you think there's more to Hogwarts that we haven't discovered yet?"

James sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "They'll always be stuff about Hogwarts we'll never know about, I guess that's kind of why I never want to leave this place,"

"Scary isn't it mate?"

"What Padfoot?" James asked, bumping shoulders with Sirius.

"It's just, we've spent our whole lives here, and now it's our last year. No more school dinners, no more midnight snacks or pranking Peeves or sneaking into Girls' Dormitories at night," Sirius ruffled his hair, scratching the back of his neck. A sense of melancholy filled him, and he had no idea why.

James placed a hand on Sirius shoulder, shaking his friend. "What the hells gotten into you, Padfoot?"

Sirius shook his head, plastering a carefree smirk on his face. "Ignore me, I just had a mental breakdown,"

"You don't say,"

"Shove it, Prongsie," Sirius grinned, bumping his friend's shoulder. "Where's Moony and Wormtail?"

"Where do you think?" James rolled his eyes. "They're raiding the kitchen, as soon as they found out that desert tomorrow lunch is chocolate pudding, Remus ran for the hills,"

"Oi, he better save some for us, or else-"

A high-pitched scream resonated through the empty corridor, much like a horror movie scene.

"What do you think it is?"

James gulped, "Dunno, maybe a banshee, or a vampire- you know, like the ones that Professor Dodd talked about in Defence,"

James stepped back, gripping Sirius' shoulder. "Well, I suppose being Head Boy, I should check it out,"

"Right," Sirius said instantly, "Besides, we're Gryffindor Seventh Years! We should help out our fellow students,"

"Leave me alone!" The voice called out, screeching.

James eyes widened, before he stepped away from Sirius. "You know, as I am Head Boy, I should probably get McGonagall, you should try and save… whoever the victim is,"

"James William Potter!" Sirius yelled, as James long legs speedily left Sirius in the dust. "Some Marauder," He mumbled to himself.

Pulling his wand out, Sirius mumbled a quick, "Lumos," to light up the dark, Hogwarts night. Curfew would be in ten minutes, so technically speaking, he wasn't breaking any rules.

"You stupid Mudblood, how dare you speak to me?" A familiar voice screeched. It was hoarse and deep, a voice he knew all too well.

Another shriek left the mouth of a young girl, the size of a button. She reached, Sirius estimated, up to his waist and had large green eyes and olive skin. "I only asked where the Ravenclaw tower was," She squeaked.

Severus seemed to hesitate for a second, as if he realised someone was watching him, before he raised his wand towards the girl. She flinched, wrapping her arms around her chest as she curled herself into a ball.

"Sectumsempra-"

"Expelliarmus!"

Severus' wand was sent flying away from his hand, burning the skin of his palm. His spell went awry, hitting a suit of armour instead. The crowd of Slytherins quickly dispersed, rushing to the dungeons as the thought of being caught riddled their mind.

"Snivellus,"

"Black,"

Quickly muttering a spell under his breath, Severus wand flew back into his hand, as he pointed it in Sirius' direction. A small smirk settled over his face. "Playing hero, are we Black?"

"Go back to the dungeons, Snape."

"No," He stated, turning back towards the First Year. "If you haven't noticed, I'm in the middle of my prey, and you know how I hate to leave things… unfinished,"

"Stop!" The First Year yelled. "Why are you guys fighting? What's a Mudblood? A Death Eater?"

Severus scoffed, "Typical Mudblood," He pointed his wand back towards her, as Sirius glare intensified.

"Liberacorpus!"

The girl squealed as she felt her centre gravity shift. Her head turned upside down as he legs were above her head. She could feel the blood rush to her brain, and she felt as if she couldn't breath.

"Severus!" Sirius yelled. Immediately, he cast a spell that made the young girl drop to the floor, no longer under Severus' spell, however the loud smack of her body hitting the wooden floor of the Hogwarts echoing across the corridor.

Avalon rubbed her eyelids, hopefully wiping away any traces of tears on her face. Exiting the Room of Requirements, she realised just how long she had been hiding. The corridors were now deserted and night had fallen across Hogwarts.

Her stomach growled and her body felt fragile at the loss of water through salty tears. She felt weak as she rubbed her reddened eyes.

"I've missed Tea, great," She rubbed her belly, settling its growling.

She scratched the top of her head, feeling completely drained. Crying was exhausting. Some people would say she was being melodramatic; but Avalon was a dramatic girl, despite her introvert personality.

Keeping her steps light in case any patrolling Prefects came by, Avalon made her way through the empty corridor. The eeriness and stillness of the character scared Avalon slightly, and she waved her wand, whispering a silent, "Lumos,"

A loud smack resonated across the Hogwarts corridor. The sound of small cries flooded across the hallway.

A First Year was cowering under the gaze of two Seventh Years, both with their wands pointed at her. Tears were spilling out of her eyes as she glanced up at Avalon, fear filling her eyes.

At first, she didn't know what to think. The scene was too familiar to her; Avalon hoped she never would have to see it again. In a second, she flicked her wand out, pointing it in the direction of the Seventh Years, momentarily disarming them. The two boys fell backwards, one smacking his head against the hard tiled floor and one crashed into the opposing wall. She didn't think of any certain spell, her mind filled with grabbing the young girl and escaping.

One of the boys glared out at Avalon, grabbing the back of his head in pain. Silver eyes stormed into hers, before her eyes widened.

_Sirius Black…_

The young girl crawled towards Avalon, pulling herself up and behind the older girl. She grabbed her sleeve, her large brown eyes growing large.

"H-h-his hair…"

"Quick!" Without a moments notice, Avalon pushed the young girl forward on the moving staircases. Avalon could hardly think, letting her instincts take over her. "Through here,"

It was stupid though, running away. Her death was imminent. She would be killed. Killed in the most painful, deathly manner.

"Where is she?" Sirius demanded, storming through the Gryffindor Common Room and storming towards Lily. James' eyes widened as he saw Sirius bounding towards the love-of-his-short-life.

"Padfoot, chill, what's wrong?" James said, not looking him in the eye, as he immediately stood in front of Lily.

"What's wrong?" Sirius demanded, "Where were _you_? **You** said **you** were getting McGonagall, instead **you** left me for the feast of the Devil Reincarnated," Sirius stressed the words, poking James' chest every time he said so.

"Okay, it wasn't that bad I mean you came back in one piece-"

_Spoke too soon, _James thought as the hilarity of the situation came to light as Sirius threw the hood of his cloak off. His once beautifully midnight hair that fell to his shoulders in waves were now straw-like, and a striking bright, purple.

James felt himself becoming breathless, as his loud laughter broke through the Common Room. Peter, who was currently stuffing his face with mice pies, promptly choked, whilst Remus patted the poor boy's back, deep chuckles escaping his mouth.

Lily covered her mouth in shock, as her eyes turned into crescents as silent laughter shook her body.

"Yeah, _unscathed_," Sirius sneered. He pounded towards Lily, "Now, where is she? I know you're hiding her,"

"Who?" Lily exclaimed, "Dorcas? It couldn't have been her, she's been with her Ravenclaw boyfriend the whole time, I swear,"

"Not Dorcas!" Sirius yelled. "Avalon! Where is Avalon Summers?"


	6. IV: Leila

IV

_**Leila **_

_[Arabic], feminine given name in Hebrew, Iranian and Arabic; meaning "the night" or "dark beauty,"_

* * *

Quietness distilled over Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, only to be broken by an echoing sound of heavy breathing. Silent footfalls resonated against the long corridors, trying to hide form the inhabitants of the school. A young girl gripped the hand of an older student, feeling as if her body would explode if she continued to run any further. She vowed to herself then, she'd never exercise ever again.

Soon, the two young students found rest in an empty corridor, catching their breath.

It took a few moments for the two to calm down from the emotional high that they had just recently experienced. Swiping her hair back from her face, Avalon let out a small sigh as she gazed at the hunched figure of the small girl.

Tiny, that was the word that came to mind when Avalon saw her - tiny face, tiny body, tiny smile. Even her hair was short, reaching just underneath her chin, and her small eyes were a vibrant emerald, rivalling even Lily Evans' bright eyes.

"What's your name, sweetie?" Avalon's voice was extremely soft, as if she was scared to speak louder, in case of scaring the young student.

"Leila Greene, First Year," Her reply was just as quiet, as she slid down to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. Avalon slipped down next to her, extending her knees forward.

"Nice to meet you Leila Green," Avalon held her hand out for the young girl. "I'm Avalon Summers, Seventh Year,"

"Y-your in Seventh Year?" She asked hesitantly. Avalon nodded her head slowly, watching as Leila opened her mouth repeatedly, each time seemingly loose the nerve to ask Avalon the question she wanted.

"Do… do you know what a Mudblood is?"

A coldness swept across Avalon as she saw the hesitance in the young girls eyes. "Who called you that?"

"T-that boy, with long black hair,"

_Sirius? That didn't seem like him. _

"The one with the green and silver tie,"

_Severus, that definetly seemed like him. _

Avalon sighed slowly. "A Mudblood is an offensive term used for Muggleborns. It's almost like a swear word so don't use it. You'll find out the more you live in the Wizarding World that its not this dream filled with magic and rainbows. It's a really scary place, just like the Muggle World,"

"Why do people call Muggleborns that word?" Leila's innocent eyes gazed up at Avalon.

"Because some people think they're better than others, nothing new really. It's a horrible term that's used make a wizard think that they're not worthy of their powers," Avalon scoffed, staring out of the castle grounds. "Just because they're not Pureblood,"

"What's pureblood?"

"Someone who's parents and grandparents are wizards. If both of your parents are wizards then you're a pureblood, or if one's a wizard and the others a Muggle you're also a halfblood, like me. Muggleborns are wizards who have two Muggle parents," Avalon explained it calmly to her, although she tried to contain the bitterness that still seemed to escape into her words.

"I'm assuming you're Muggleborn, or at least have lived in the Muggle world you're whole life," Leila nodded, falling into step with Avalon. They made it to the Ravenclaw common room without any Prefects catching them. "Here you are, Ravenclaw Tower,"

It was cast in the darkness of the night, with the silver moon shedding light in the doorway. The eagle stature above ruffled its wings, its stone eyes turning beady.

"What time do you call this?" It cawed. Avalon shuffled away, shuddering. Suddenly, the Fat Lady seemed nicer and less… creepy.

"Sorry," Leila responded shyly. "I got lost and Avalon helped me here,"

The eagle sighed, "It walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening. What is it?"

"Human," Two voices resonated through the dark corridor. Leila's eyes widened as she gazed up at Avalon's tall statue. "How did you know that?"

Avalon winked slightly at the young girl, waving her hand as she departed down the corridor. She watched from afar, making sure that Leila entered the Ravenclaw Common Rooms before she made the trek back to Gryffindor Tower.

She smiled softly; it was easy talking to Leila. She seemed so much like Alex, that it almost seemed like a little piece of home was with her.

Avalon groaned, realising she had Defence first. Defence, whilst one of her favourite subjects, meant that Avalon would have to sit next to Sirius Black, her least favourite person at the moment. Guilt crept around her, as her stomach twisted into knots. She didn't realise what the spell did, but she hoped it wasn't too bad.

"James, it's not coming off, I've had three showers in a row, and it still won't come off,"

Slapping her hand over her mouth, Avalon's eyes widened as she saw Sirius enter the classroom.

Well that answered her worries.

His eyes immediately narrowed down on her, and without a moment's hesitation, she rose from her seat, grabbing essentials and running to the opposite end of the classroom.

"Summers! You're dead!"

"In my defence, at least we found out that purple is not your colour Black! You should be thanking me," She spoke with such assurance that Sirius stopped to contemplate. This small moment allowed Avalon to escape the classroom, Sirius hot on her heels.

"Excuse me, where do you think you're going?" Professor Nichols asked. The Defence teacher was dearly loved by the school, it was no surprise really, young, attractive, and actually enjoying teaching caused him to be immensely popular with the Hogwarts population, both students and teachers.

Sirius chuckled lightly, slinging his arm around Avalon's shoulder and winking at Nichols. His grip on Avalon tightened as she tried to shrug his arm off, causing her to grimace in his direction. "Just a little… misunderstanding sir, we'll be right back in a moment,"

Nichols glanced at Sirius' violet hair, a smirk crossing his face. "Avalon, I see you've been practicing your hexes. You can sort it out _after_ class."

Sirius bit his lip, his hands clenching at the sides. "This isn't over Summers," he hissed under his breath.

Avalon didn't know where the confidence came from, but she turned on her heel and grinned cheekily at the boy. "We'll see,"

It had been three whole days since Sirius' encounter with Avalon in Defence. Three whole days she had somehow been avoiding him, even when they were sitting next to each other in Transfiguration, Potions _and_ Defence.

It's been three days since that day, meaning that Sirius has had his hair a violent violet for a _whole week. _

Avalon could win at any game of hide and seek, he'd give her that.

Sirius sighed. It was a Saturday, meaning a Hogsmede trip. He should be picking up girls, taking them to the Three Broomsticks, getting drunk of his ass. But no, instead he's hiding in Flourish and Blotts, stalking, no, watching Avalon Summers in her natural habitat. She was resting her arm around the shoulders of a younger student, which Sirius quickly identified to be the younger girl from that dreadful incident that caused him to act in such a way.

Was she her sister? It made sense why Avalon would have reacted in such a harsh way, but at the same time, Summers had never once stated that she had any family members, she was the biggest enigma Sirius had ever faced.

To say he was intrigued would be an understatement.

The girls departed, Avalon escaping the crammed bookshelves, waving goodbye at the younger student. Without thinking, Sirius tried to follow her. She would change him back; she was his only hope.

"Where exactly have you been Padfoot?" James grinned, appearing out of thin air.

Startled, Sirius scowled at his best friend. "You bitch, scare the shit out of me why don't you?" he grumbled.

"Ooh, looks like somebody's on their man period," Remus commented, stuffing his face with chocolate. Peter guffawed, choking on a lemon sherbet.

"Well you have bright purple hair and see how you feel," He glared, before turning his attention back to Avalon who had aptly disappeared from sight. "Goddammit guys, I almost had her!"

"Ava!" A flash of crimson and emerald stood before Avalon as she decended from the Girls' dormitories. "You are having breakfast in the Great Hall, no excuses,"

"Wait Lily, let's talk about this first…"

"Nope," Lily grabbed Avalon's arms, pulling her along. "You're leaving me completely on my own, Dorcas is with her new boyfriend and if you don't come I'll have the _Marauders _as company,"

"Yeah, but Remus isn't that bad," Avalon pointed out, as they entered the Great Hall. "And Peter barely talks, he's too busy stuffing his face,"

"Yes, but you're forgetting that Sirius and James are there too, they're worse than an earthquake," Lily shuddered. "It's been hell living in the same quarters as Potter, he's literally a pig,"

Avalon chuckled, the first time in a while. "He can't be that bad,"

Lily's face twisted, "Yes he can."

"Well, you were the one who had a crush on him in third year," Avalon whispered, smirking as Lily's face became as red as her hair.

"I was horribly misguided, I see the light now,"

They took there seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, Avalon pilling her plate with pancakes. Athena came scooping down along with the other owls, dropping two letters into her hand. Feeding her a small amount of bacon, she smoothed out the ruffles on Athena's wings, before slipping the letter open.

_Dear Ava_

_Hiiii! I've missed you so much, my handwriting's gotten loads better, hasn't it? (Pssttt… It's Alex if you don't know). Aunt Maislee is helping me write this, but I'm a big boy and I don't need any help. _

_I started a new school and made a new friend, Jake. He's got really cool cars and I'm going his house to play with them on Saturday. _

_But I still miss Mum and Dad. _

_Can we go visit them when you come back at Christmas?_

_You are coming back for Christmas, right Ava?_

_I miss you lots and lots,_

_Love Alex_

_P.S. I miss Athena too, can you give her a kiss for me?_

Avalon tucked the letter into her cloak pocket, smiling wistfully at her plate. Alex always knew how to make her happy, she was glad he had adapted to his new life seamlessly and made new friends. Glancing up at the Ravenclaw Table, she saw the small figure of Leila as she contemplated where to sit. She looked extremely uncomfortable with the girls of her year.

"Leila!" Avalon called over, standing up from her seat. Lily gave her a questioning gaze, as she watched Avalon walk towards the Ravenclaw table. Heads turned as the Seventh Year walked towards the table filled with First Years. Avalon hadn't realised the reputation she had gained since the Sirius incident, but it seemed that everyone in the castle knew that she was the one who had hexed Sirius.

"Do you want to sit with me at the Gryffindor table?"

Leila looked startled for a while, before a soft smile broke along her face. "Sure, I'd like that,"

Slinging her arm over the younger girl's shoulder, she manovered her way towards Lily, piling her plate for her.

"Lily, this is Leila, she's a Muggleborn like you," Avalon introduced.

"You're a Muggleborn too?" Leila wondered. Lily nodded softly, "And I'm proud of it,"

Grinning, Avalon grabbed her plate, ready to begin devouring her pancakes when she saw the Marauders strutting towards them.

"Oh god," She exclaimed, standing up. "Hide me, quickly,"

"What?" Lily questioned, "Why, what's wrong,"

"I've got to go, bye,"

"Oh no," A voice interrupted them. "You are not going anywhere, Summers,"

A sturdy hand circled around Avalon's waist, as nosy students stared at the scene before them. Fear riddled Avalon, but it was replaced by warmth that flooded through her stomach. "Leila! Lils! Help me!"

Said girl grinned at her, shaking her head. "Last time I got involved, you ended up hexing two people,"

Avalon gasped as Sirius tugged her further away from her should-be saviours. "What kind of friends are you guys?"

Leila smiled at the label. '_Friend'_ Avalon had called her. Lily rolled her eyes "Do you always need me to get you out of things?"

"Yes!"

"Haha, no chance sweetheart," Sirius tightened his grip on Avalon's waist, dragging her towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Look Sirius, I have no idea what spell I used and I don't know how to reverse it, so could you be a darling and… sort of… let me go?" She squeaked the ending out, glancing hopefully up at him.

For a moment, Sirius wondered how Avalon's eyes could be such a dark cerulean before he shook his head, tightening his arms around her stomach.

"Well, it looks like you'll be getting a pair of purple eyebrows then,"


	7. V: Marlene

V

Marlene

_[German], feminine given name; mixture of the names Maria and Magdalene._

* * *

"Here," Professor Slughorn handed Sirius a vial, smiling at his two students. "Wash your hair with this, and the purple will come right out,"

Avalon smiled smugly at Sirius, "See, if you actually ask, people can help you in wondrous ways,"

A deathly glare was sent to her way, "I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you." He nodded his thanks at Professor Slughorn, before grabbing Avalon by the wrist and dragging her out of the dungeons.

"I hate going to this place, Slughorn looks at me like I'm a piece of his lost collection," Sirius shuddered. "Besides, it's riddled with Slytherins."

Avalon rolled her eyes, "Whatever, now can you let me go please?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, pulling her along towards the Gryffindor Common Rooms. "That's it? You make me endure hell and I don't even get an apology?"

"I'm sorry," Avalon rolled her eyes, rubbing her wrist as she escaped towards the fireplace, where Lily beckoned her over.

"Wow, the sincerity is overflowing, Summers,"

Lily's eyes turned to slits as she glared at Sirius. "Is this guy bothering you, Ava?"

"Ava?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "How come I don't get to call you that?"

"Because only my _friends_ call me that," She glanced at Lily, smiling softly at the girl. Lily's eyes beamed, as she could no longer contain the smile that stretched across her face.

Sirius fake gagged, before rolling his eyes at Avalon. "This isn't over Summers, I'd suggest sleeping with one eye open tonight," Remus called him from the other side of the Common Room, and with that, the Marauder had vanished from sight.

"Lily dear!" A high-pitched voice called out. There was only one way to describe Dorcas Meadows- painstakingly beautiful. With pin straight jade-black hair that cascaded down her shoulders and emerald eyes the colour of tropical trees, she was the definition of beauty.

"Dorcas!" Lily exclaimed, standing up to reach her best friend. "Where have you been?"

Avalon turned away from the two friends; Lily and Dorcas had been a pair since first-year; there was little anybody could do to split them apart. It had become such that no one was able to refer to one without including the other's name. She sighed, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table that stood in the middle of the commons room. It had progressed deeper into the night, with most students slipping into their dormitories. Lily was trying to bide her time; she refused to spend any moment with James in their shared Heads dormitories.

With a heavy sigh, Avalon pulled out a piece of parchment from her bag, realising that she'd need to finish that potions essay Slughorn had insisted be handed in the following day. Potions had always been one of her weakest subjects – Slughorn's need to complete essays at a moments notice did not help either.

"Oh look, it's the Whore of Hogwarts," Dorcas' voice took a haughty sneer that broke through the now empty Gryffindor common room.

Marlene McKinnon walked down the dormitories staircase, her dark hair reaching just above her shoulders. Her coffee coloured eyes narrowed at Dorcas' jab, before she scoffed. The two had never gotten along well, after their fourth-year fight where Marlene had _supposedly_ slept with Dorcas then-boyfriend; the two had hated each other with a passion.

Rumours had spread like wildfire.

In weeks, Marlene McKinnon was said to have slept around with half of the population of Hogwarts, granting her the new title of "Whore of Hogwarts," which Dorcas used to her complete amusement. Avalon had always questioned the credibility of the sources, albeit it now seemed like a known fact around Hogwarts; Marlene did not defend herself on the topic.

A Gryffindor-red prefect badge shone brightly against her robes, causing Dorcas' eyes to narrow. The animosity between the pair had reached new heights in the beginning of summer when Marlene had been chosen as a Prefect whilst Dorcas was not.

Marlene chose to ignore the girl, instead sitting at one of the empty tables and pulling out _The Daily Prophet._ Dorcas scoffed before rising from her place in front of the dying fire. "Come on Lily, I don't want to catch any STDs just by being in her presence,"

Lily glanced towards Avalon who shook her head, "I'll finish this essay and then I'll be on my way up,"

Lily nodded, waving goodbye to Avalon before following Dorcas' footsteps up to the Girl's Dormitories.

A beat of silence erupted across the common room, as Avalon discarded her Potions essay, choosing instead to stare weakly at the dying embers of the fire. She hated not being busy; it made her remember that night. In some strange way, hiding from Sirius had caused her to forget about it slightly; Avalon did have to thank the strange boy for that. From the corner of her eye, she could see Marlene's figure droop slightly, her posture becoming much more fragile then before.

Avalon hesitated for a moment, before turning towards her. "Are you okay? Dorcas can be harsh sometimes,"

Shock coursed through Marlene's face, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes," Avalon nodded, "Who else is in the room?"

Marlene shook her head, "It's just that… you're friends with Dorcas, I'd assume you'd hate me,"

"I am not a friend of Dorcas,"

"You sure about that, you two seem pretty chummy," Marlene raised an eyebrow, pulling her knees up onto her chair and resting the bottom of her chin against them.

At that, Avalon rolled her eyes. "I don't talk to many people, the only person I talk to is Lily,"

"You're talking to me right now," Marlene pointed out, standing up from her spot to come sit closer to Avalon.

She shrugged in response, "You must be pretty special then,"

A comfortable silence rested itself between the two students, as they both were lost in their own thoughts. "You're not quite like I imagined," Marlene spoke quietly. At this, Avalon raised an eyebrow questionably.

"What do you mean?"

Marlene sighed heavily, before pulling her feet up onto the sofa, resting her chin on her knees. "You're the first person who willingly talked to me, and not to criticize or insult me. I thought you were this shy, mouse-like girl, but you seem braver than I thought."

Avalon shook her head,_"_See, this is the problem people have these days. Everybody assumes that I'm quiet because I'm shy, but really I've been silently judging everyone from afar and determining that they're all fucking incapable of having a functioning brain,"

Marlene stared at Avalon for a moment, her jaw slacking. In the next moment, both girls erupted in laughter that shook both of the girls until they were bent over the sofa, breathing heavily.

"Oh wow, you really are something Avalon Summers," Marlene smiled. "That's the first time I've actually laughed in _years_!"

Avalon shrugged her shoulders, "Want me to tell you a secret?"

"Well, it's probably the first time we've had a proper conversation," Marlene questioned, her voice taking a teasing note. "Continue,"

Avalon rubbed the back of her neck, before hesitantly stating, "I've never really liked Meadows, I mean, what kind of friend ditches you to hang out with others? She does that all the time to Lily; it's like she takes advantage of her sometimes,"

Marlene nodded, "I see where you're coming from. You know, strangely enough, Dorcas, Lily and I use to be the best of friends? Then that issue in fourth year happened, and Lily took Dorcas' side," Marlene sighed. "You probably wouldn't remember, you'd always been extremely quiet and got on with your studies,"

At that Avalon shrugged her shoulders, "I've always cared about my grades than the latest Hogwarts gossip, I just really don't care anymore,"

With that Avalon sighed, stretching her arm above her head. "Are you coming up?"

Marlene nodded her head, smiling as she clasped Avalon's outstretched hand. "Thanks Avalon,"

Sharing a smile, they made their way up towards the Seventh Year Dormitories. Dorcas was sleeping soundlessly; Lily stared at the two suspiciously, before grabbing her book bag and smiling at Avalon.

"I better go before I get caught by Filch," Avalon grinned in response, waving goodnight to the redhead.

"I never thought Lily would sneak to her dormitory after curfew," Marlene whispered, staring wide-eyed at Avalon.

She in turn shrugged her shoulders, "Lily will do anything to escape James, even if that meant she had to _bend_ the rules,"

With a loud yawn, Avalon plopped down next to Marlene at the Gryffindor table. She rested her head against her arms, sighing heavily. "Morning," She mumbled.

"Erm… Avalon?" Marlene wondered. "What are you doing here?"

She looked around, noticing a few students from various tables glancing at her. "Sitting next to you, Dorcas, _for once,_ decided to sit next to Lily today. She keeps going on about some new make-up brand that Madame Levaine is creating. I can only handle so much Butterpuff Pink Lipstick before I explode,"

Marlene chuckled before whispering a soft "Thank you,"

Avalon winked at her, grabbing a plate filled to the brim with pancakes. As she was about to devour the plate, the girls beside them erupted into gossip, crowding over _The Daily Prophet._

"Did you hear about Auror Summers? He got murdered along with his wife over the summer!" Voices exploded from around the Great Hall. Students were gripping _The Daily Prophet_, which had news clippings of the wreckage of Avalon's house.

She felt sick. Her whole story was being publicized for the whole Wizarding World to see. Yes, she knew her father was a big opposition to You-Know-Who's regime, but so were many other aurar's. She wouldn't be able to handle the pitying gazes of others, but as times became more dangerous, it seemed that most families were touched by death.

"Apparently they had kids, but the article says nothing about them, maybe they're Muggle. Aurar Summers always was a secretive man,"

"Gosh, You-Know-Who's really powerful isn't he? I heard Auror Summers was really good, the best of the best,"

"He can't be the best of the best if he's dead now isn't he?"

Marlene sighed, "I heard about that poor man, his wife was a Muggle so they'd call him a blood traitor. It scares me, you know. I'm a Muggleborn, if Auror Summers was killed because he married a Muggle, what do you think they'll do to my family?"

Avalon stood from her seat shakily, "I'm not feeling that well, I should go see Madam Pomfrey,"

Worry filled Marlene's expression, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No it's fine," Avalon shook her head. "Girl problems," That was the best weapon in her arsenal, it always worked with males and females alike.

Marlene nodded in understanding, "Alright, I'll see you later?" She asked hopefully.

Avalon nodded meekly, before rushing out of the Great Hall, her arms wrapped around herself tightly. She could see a pair of silver eyes follow her movement, burning curiosity filling them. Her heart thudded as she gripped the wall, voices ringing in her head.

_He got murdered along with his wife over the summer_

_Poor man, his wife was a Muggle so they called him a blood traitor._

_He can't be the best of the best if he's dead_

Unshed tears flashed through Avalon's eyes. She had finally been able to laugh because of Marlene. She'd thought she was finally getting better, that she'd _finally_ be able to cope.

All it took was one fucking article in _The Daily Prophet, _and all the memories had resurfaced.

_Time to turn on the acting skills, Summers_, Avalon thought, as she reached the Infirmary. She widened her eyes and refused to blink, causing tears to gather in the corner of her eyes. She hunched over her stomach slightly, and began to limp, making sure that she flinched slightly whenever she moved to fast.

"Avalon!" A voice called out behind her. Biting her lip, she almost growled in frustration at loosing her concentration.

Remus Lupin came bundling down towards her. "Are you okay?" He asked hesitantly.

_This may actually work in my favour, _Avalon realised. Clutching her stomach, she bit her lip as she turned to Remus. "Not feeling that well," She made her voice barely above a whisper, as her fingers wrapped around the door handle to the infirmary feebly.

Immediately, Remus' eyes softened. Her wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lifting her up slightly. "Come on, I'll walk you in,"

"Thank you," She murmured, her eyes wide. She hadn't expected him to offer his help so quickly.

"What's the matter?" Madam Pomfrey, the new young matron, was immediately by Avalon's side, aiding Remus as they hauled Avalon on to a bed. A fourth year Slytherin, sporting a gruesome spread of boils across his face and an unusually bruised eye, was the only other patient in the Infirmary at the moment. He sent a deathly glare towards Remus, who sent an equally withering scowl towards him. With a flounce of grandeur, the Slytherin student closed his curtains with a sneer.

"Fucking prejudiced purebloods," He mumbled under his breath. Avalon raised an eyebrow at Remus' language; she'd never heard his swear before, he was known for being the quiet Marauder.

"I'll be fine Remus," Placing her hand on her head, she tried to control the giggles that wanted to escape her mouth. "I'm sure James and Sirius are waiting for you,"

Madam Pomfrey must have seen protest in his eyes, as she swiftly escorted him out of the room. "Now, what's the problem dear?"

Rule 1: Be vague.

"I don't know. I got stomach pains all of a sudden and headaches too."

Rule 2: Back it up with facts or excuses to increase the reliability.

"I- I haven't been sleeping that well actually," This was the only truth Avalon spoke. "Just for the past few days,"

Madam Pomfrey's hand came to feel her forehead, "You're slightly pale there, duck. But other than that, I can't really prescribe you anything. I think you're exhausted, that's all."

Perks of being a quiet student: people automatically think you're a sweet hard worker who follows the rules and doesn't tell lies.

Avalon rested her head against the pillow of one of the beds, as her eyes fluttered closed. She could hear Madam Pomfrey close the curtains around her bed. A small smile flickered across her lips – it seems as if that potion essay would have to be handed tomorrow.

"Oi! Summers!" A rough voice came from behind. Instantly, Avalon slapped her hands across her eyebrows as a smirking Sirius made his way towards her.

"Not yet," He winked at her. "I like making my victims paranoid, makes it all the more enjoyable,"

Groaning, she quickened her pace towards the Great Hall. A hand wrapped around her arm, turning her around so quickly she swore she saw doubles. "Remus said he took you to the infirmary," His eyes narrowed. "He said you could _barely walk,_"

Sirius let his eyes trail across her body slowly, almost appreciatively. "You however, seem utterly healthy,"

"Madam Pomfrey is a miracle worker,"

Sirius made a noise of agreement, albeit slightly mockingly. He draped an arm around Avalon's shoulders, the ends of his lips turning upwards as he caught her glare. "I've heard. But I assume it had nothing to do with the potion's essay that was meant to be handed in today,"

"I have no idea what you mean," She dared him with a wink, before walking through the Great Hall with a flick of her hair.

"Hey Mudblood."

Avalon felt her blood run cold. Marlene McKinnon was cornered into a crook just opposite the doors that led to the Great Hall. Dorcas Meadows was grinning manically, a group of female students surrounding her. Lily seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"What's going on?" Sirius murmured, albeit he was left unanswered as he saw Avalon storm towards the group, her eyes burning with a furiosity he wished he'd never be on the receiving end of.

"You know, today I found a Knut and it reminded me of you – worthless and found in everyone's pants," Dorcas grinned down at Marlene; her usually enhancing eyes were now a wicked green – almost reminiscent of a snake.

"Ah you see there seems to be a slight loophole with your witty comeback, Meadows. We live in England so I think the word trousers is what you looking for," Avalon stood in front of Marlene, and grabbed her hand tightly.

"A-Avalon," Dorcas stammered, her face becoming pale as she saw the vengeful glare she sent the girl.

"I knew you guys hate each other, but I **cannot** believe you called her that word, Dorcas." Dorcas faltered as she tried to make a reply.

In response, Avalon raised a hand to stop her mid-sentence. "I honestly thought better of you." With that, she tugged Marlene further away from the scene and dragged her inside the Great Hall, leaving behind Dorcas with a gaping mouth.

"Please tell me that was all a dream and I didn't actually stand up to Dorcas," Avalon breathed out a long breath she did not realise she was holding, as Marlene grinned widely at her.

"What happened to the shy little mouse?"

Avalon grinned in response, before dragging her into the Great Hall.

Sirius watched from a far, a smile crossing his face as he saw the two enter the Great Hall hand in hand. He saw Avalon throw her head back in laughter, smiling unconsciously at the sound. "What happened in deed?"


	8. VI: Eccedentesiast

VI

Eccedentesiast

[Noun], a person who fakes a smile

* * *

_L__aughter. Smiles. Giggles. _

Avalon could see all through the disguised faces with barely hidden abhorrence. They fluttered around the Entrance Hall, squealing about their day, spreading gossip as if it were a disease. They pretended that they were interested in who was snogging whom; they faked disappointment when someone's love became unrequited; they hid their sinister smiles for when they were alone, relishing in the dispute and disappointment of others.

Avalon could see through all of this, and she came to the mildly exuberant epiphany that she no longer cared for these facades. No matter how much the fake smiles protected her, she did not care.

She did not care what they thought anymore.

She did not care.

* * *

Avalon hadn't spoken to Lily in a week, and frankly the redheaded girl was a word away from destroying the Girls Dormitories.

The blonde haired fairy had been in her own little world, only being dragged out a few times by _McKinnon_. If anybody spoke to her, she would blink her doe-like, iridescent eyes and let an infinitesimal, polite smile flicker across her face before apologising in a small tone. It would take an idiot not to realise she was preoccupied with thoughts that Lily longed to hear.

Then she'd cross paths with Dorcas, and it seemed as if her body would be twist and turn, and a scowl would be set across her face. She'd link arms with McKinnon tightly, and pull her in the opposite direction. Rumours had spread of Avalon's confrontation with Dorcas, albeit no one had told the specifics of the encounter, so Lily was left to her own assumptions.

Dorcas- Oh Dorcas had become unbearable lately. Her time had been spent divided between her new Ravenclaw friends and her boyfriend, leaving very little time for Lily. And the time she did spend with her made Lily question if spending time with her would be better than non at all! She would just talk about how _amazing_ Lucas was, how _smart_ Lucas was, how irrefutably _un-Muggle-like_ he was.

The more Lily was left to her own thoughts, the more her mind wondered on things that left her with a sour taste in her mouth. No matter how long she spent pouring over her studies, her mind could not seem to concentrate.

Enough had been enough.

With an unusual source of finality and tenacity, Lily Evans wrapped her hand around Avalon's bony wrist at the end of Defence class and just as Lunch was starting, dragging her without warning through the busy Hogwarts corridors.

It wasn't long before she found an empty classroom, and she shoved Avalon in there with such force, she winced at the loud rattling of the door. It was an Ancient Runes' classroom, with symbols drawn all over the chalkboards and papers littered across Professor Babbling desk.

Avalon's silence seemed to stretch on, "Err… hello Lily?"

"Okay! I'm sorry for dragging you here against your will, and you know that I'm not good with words but please can you tell me why you've been ignoring me?"

Avalon rolled her eyes, a hidden smirk stretching across her eyes. She pulled herself up on top of the empty classroom's desk, crossing her legs into a comfortable position. "I'm not avoiding you, per say. More so of dear _Lady Meadows_."

"That's exactly it!" Lily exploded. "I'm not always around Dorcas, and it always seems that we never see each other. And what has happened between you too? You used to be indifferent to each other. Now, it would take bloody Dementors to stop you from attacking the poor girl!"

"She deserves all the scorn I possess." Avalon's eyes narrowed. "You didn't hear what she said Lily,"

"No," She sighed, "Because nobody will tell me. It's a terrible feeling, being left out of everything. It's like everybody knows what happened between you _except_ me, and your both the two people I'm closest too,"

The silence between them was enough for Lily to realise how bad things had gotten between her two friends. But she hadn't expected the next words to flow out of Avalon's lips, or for her whole world to come crashing down after.

"_She called Marlene a Mudblood."_

* * *

Avalon had wondered if maybe she shouldn't have told Lily about the "Dorcas Incident". The poor girl had already lost her best friend in Snape two years ago because of the oppressive vulgarity of his words, and it would be heart-breaking if she lost her other because of the same thing. With a heavy sigh, she twisted her fingers into her sun-kissed hair, hiding in the library that had become her sanctuary.

"_I'm so incredibly proud of the grades you've got, Ava. O's in Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Defence. Only E's in Potions though – but that's all right. Can't be too perfect now, can you?" _

Avalon sighed in exasperation; her father had been extremely impressed with her O.W.L grades- the result of numerous sleepless nights, coffee-induced withdrawals and trembling hands.

But the events of last summer still hung over her, and she'd be lucky if she could even scrape a 'Poor' this year with the way she seemed to crack at the simplest of things. Spilling over her notes for Herbology, she didn't notice that time had escaped her or that the library lights had gone out. Realising she was well after curfew, Avalon hastily packed up her things, her notes spilling out of the worn satchel as she rushed through the corridors to the common rooms.

Just as she was about to make it towards the Fat Lady, a hand snatched around her waist, pulling her into darkness. A deep, throaty voice whispered "Lumos" and immediately, Avalon was surrounded by light and the cocky smirk of Sirius Black.

"Do you have a death sentence, Black?" She snarled, pulling her bag tighter over her shoulder as she realised the short distance between them. "Or are you genuinely trying to give me a heart attack?"

He winked at her "I know I'm good-looking, but to be able to cause a person's heart to stop, that must take some skill."

With a low growl, she glanced around into the small-encompassed place, soon realising that it was a bloody broom cupboard. She turned towards the door, only to have Sirius block it with a grin. And not only that, but the cupboard was exactly that – a cramped, small broom cupboard which meant they were extremely close, so close, she could see the almost maddening silver glint in his grey eyes.

Turning to him with a slight blush spreading across her cheek, she'd be blind if she didn't find Sirius Black attractive; his personality on the other hand remained a mystery to her. "You better not try and snog me Black, I'd be daft before I do."

Sirius let out a bark, "Love, we all know that's not true." He shrugged as he glanced down at the girl. She wasn't that much shorter than him, although Sirius used his height to his advantage. Her hair fell from her shoulders and reached her waist in a mess of golden curls, looking as if she had run her fingers through the soft tendrils numerous times. Rosy lips curled into a defied smirk, her indigo eyes almost had a streak of violet in them and Sirius was so close, he could see the small freckled-kisses scattered across her nose. The dusty pink blush that spread across her cheeks did not go unnoticed by Sirius.

Merlin, she was fit, but he had other things on his mind right now.

"How would you like to help me on a little job request from Cupid, my fellow Gryffindor?"

* * *

The weekly Hogsmeade trip had come around, and on the bleary Saturday morning, Sirius had prevented Avalon from shutting herself in the comfort of bedroom and dragged her along with his ridiculous ideas.

With what seemed like the whole of Hogwarts staring at her with a half-slacked, jaw-open expression, she self-consciously looked down at her attire. Muggle clothing had been her choice, as was everyone else in Hogsmeade. A red-black plaid shirt was strewn across her body, faded jeans with one too many holes, and a simple brown jacket on top to prevent the biting September air from entering her body. She wondered if she had somehow come underdressed with all the heated, bitter looks she was getting- particularly from the female population.

Sirius had not stopped staring at her from when they had left from Hogwarts, causing her to squirm slightly, cheeks flushing a soft pink. "Stop looking at me like that. Do I have something on my face?"

He smiled softly at her, "Nah, I have a horrible habit of looking at pretty things,"

If it was possible, Avalon flushed even darker.

"Remind me again why you didn't ask James for help?" Avalon squeaked out, her boots crunching the fallen leaves as she stuffed her cold fingers into her pockets.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that, "James has been asking Lily out for _six years_, do you think he'd be able to set up Longbottom and Prewett?"

Silence engulfed the two, as Avalon shrugged her shoulders, cheeks flushing a pale red from the cold. Frank Longbottom had been in the year above Avalon; he'd been a sweet boy who would always hold the door open for others and had a constant smile on his face. Alice was in their year, she could say that she and Alice were friends, albeit Avalon would say that would be stretching it slightly.

Sirius chuckled, noticing that her nose had turned a peculiar shade of pink. Flicking it slightly, he wrapped an arm around Avalon's shoulders, enjoying the feel of her stiffened body. With a smirk, he led her towards Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, opening the door like a gentlemen, thoroughly enjoying the horrified expression on Avalon's face.

"You didn't say we'd be coming here!" She harshly whispered, turning away from the door as fast as she could with Sirius' strong grip on her shoulders. "I can't believe you dragged me here, Marlene will be laughing at my ass as soon as she finds out!"

Pushing her from behind, he grinned at her, pulling his woollen scarf off and wrapping it around Avalon's neck, so that it covered the bottom half of her face. "There, now nobody will no its you," He said with a wink, as he pulled the hood of his cloak up, and directed her to a seat in the far corner.

He caught her rolling her eyes as he pulled her chair out with a flourish, "Milady."

"Okay," She let out a heavy sigh, though the scarf did muffle it. "Other than looking like complete prats, what's the plan?"

"Alright, as you know, Frank Longbottom was the prefect last year. Great guy; always turned the other eye whenever he caught James and me out of curfew. Anyway, it's come to my attention that he's fancied Alice Prewett for a while, almost as long as James fancied Lily,"

"Wait," Avalon raised a hand to stop him. "Is this the same Alice Prewett in our year? The quiet girl who keeps to herself?"

"That's the one," Sirius said, resting his hands on the table. "You see, Alice, James and I grew up together, as one does when you're in _'ze pureblood families'." _He rolled his eyes, inwardly smiling as he saw the laughter escape Avalon at his strange impression.

"Anyway, she's been feeling down lately with N.E. coming up, and I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone, get Alice to be a little less uptight and for Frank to stop wining about his lost chance with her and voilà," He exclaimed with fanfare. "They'll get married and have cute babies and we'll be the best things to ever happen to their lives besides each other,"

At this, Avalon rolled her eyes. "You still haven't explained the _actual plan_ Black,"

He stared at her for a moment, "Oh yeah. Well, Alice should be down her any moment. I need you to distract her whilst I get Frank from Hogsmeade Station."

"Wait- I've barely spoken a word with her-"

"You guys sleep in the same room!"

"Come on, you didn't even know my name before this year! -"

"Not the point!" He said, swiftly leaving with a wink towards the floundering girl. With a growl, she shrieked, "You're incorrigible,"

"So I've heard," He rolled his eyes. "Look, if you do this favour for me, I'll forget about the Hair-Incident,"

"No you won't." Exhaling deeply, she glared at the dark-haired boy. "Just know I'm not doing this for you."

"Good," He almost sagged with relief. "Do you know how hard it was to get somebody to help me? James was definitely a no, as was Peter. And Remus is way to busy raiding Honeydukes."

"Just go, Black. The quicker this is over with, the quicker we can leave. I expect a butterbeer for my troubles," With another heart-stopping grin that showed the single dimple on his left cheek, Sirius bowed in a grand flourish, before bundling out of the shop, leaving Avalon to her own despair.

Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was filled to the brim with couples, causing Avalon's nose to twist slightly at the sickly sites. The circular tables only fit two seats, with pink lanterns and star-shaped lights of fuchsia bundling down from the ceiling, spreading an intimate atmosphere around the shop. She'd already started to receive pitying looks from neighbouring tables (when they weren't engrossed in their respective dates), and a miracle had been presented in the form of the awkward duckling that was Alice Prewett, as she came stumbling into the Tea Shop, ten minutes after Sirius.

Alice looked adorable; her cheeks flushed pink and her dark tumble of hair wind-swept. She wore a simple, thick dress perfect for autumn, with a woollen scarf wrapped around her neck in a similar fashion to that of Avalon's. She looked around the shop for Sirius and instead saw Avalon Summer's frantic hand as she waved at her.

"Avalon, what are you doing here?" She asked politely, moving towards the girl.

Avalon smiled hesitantly, motioning for the girl to sit down in front of her. "I'm not on a date if that's what you're asking. Are you looking for Sirius?"

Alice beamed at her friend's name, "Yeah, he said he had something to give to me, but he needed me to come here?" Her voice sounded like a question rather than a statement, and Avalon let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, he's just gone out for an…" Avalon searched her brain for the right word, "_Errand_."

Alice nodded her head slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "So… how has your day been?" Alice shrugged her shoulders. "N.E. are stressing me out. I can hardly understand any of the Defence classes, no offense to Professor Nichols,"

"Which topic? Necromancy?"

Alice nodded her head, sighing as she ordered two Peachtree Fizzing Tea's for her and Avalon.

"I could give go over my notes with you, if you want," Avalon offered, sipping her sweet flavoured tea. The smile that broke across Alice's face was blinding, "Could you? I heard you did really well on your O. , it won't be a problem will it?"

"Of course not, will Monday's be okay for you?"

Alice nodded her head, smiling sweetly. "Thank you so much, we can go after dinner, the library is usually empty then."

The quickly engaged in other topics, Alice complaining about being an only child once she found out about Avalon's adorable younger brother, (She demanded to meet him over the Christmas break after Avalon showed her a picture of him she kept in her purse). It seemed as if they had been talking for hours, before the doorbell rang, signalling a new customer.

"What is Frank Longbottom doing here? I thought he was doing Auror Training!" Alice hissed, hiding her head behind a menu sheet as she spotted the brown-haired boy.

Avalon's eyes widened, _Shit, _she thought_. _"Do you not like him?"

Alice shook her head, "The opposite. But I made a complete fool of myself in front of him last year," With an almost dreamy sigh, she subconsciously bit her lip as she whispered to Avalon, "Auror Training has definitely done him some good,"

Barking out a loud chuckle, she stared at Alice in shock. "Alice!"

"What? Do you see his bum?"

Rolling her eyes at the girl, she motioned towards Sirius who making his way towards the two, an arm slung over Frank's shoulders. "Oh Merlin, someone save me!" Alice whimpered, wishing to disappear into the wall.

"Alice, my dear," Sirius grinned impishly, "You made it. I'd love to stay and chat, but Avalon and I have some prior engagements with a wonderful lady named Rosmerta. So Frank, would you be able to keep lovely Alice some company,"

"You set this up Black," Alice harshly whispered, her eyes narrowing at her supposed friend. Fluttering his eyelashes innocently towards the sputtering Prewett girl and the blushing Frank, he pulled Avalon from her seat, winking at Frank as he left.

"Don't do anything I'd do!" He yelled out joyfully, as Avalon grinned at Alice's abashed face.

"Alice!" She called out. "I expect a full-detailed account of this later!"

With that, the two ran out of the Merlin-forsaken shop, and proceeded to drink their weight in Butterbeer for the rest of the day.

* * *

Lily did not know what to do. Unresolvable anger and betrayal coursed through her bones, as well as harsh unshed tears. The Heads Dormitories were extremely quiet, although Lily should have gotten use to it. James was hardly in the rooms, opting to spend his time in the Gryffindor common rooms. Glancing around at her room, Lily couldn't help but miss her old one. She didn't even go into Hogsmeade, what was the point if she would be alone? Avalon probably had plans with Marlene, and the Marauders would be causing havoc on the unsuspecting village. Dorcas had already said she was spending time with Lucas, her Ravenclaw boyfriend, and Severus…

The Heads Dormitories were awarded to the new Head Boy and Head Girl. They were given their own private bathroom, along with separate bedrooms and a small common room that joined the two together. The walls had been aptly donned scarlet and gold, imitating the Gryffindor Tower as best as it could.

With a sigh, Lily flopped down onto her bed, thoughts of Dorcas slipping through her mind.

_Did she actually say that to Marlene? Or was Avalon lying? _

Lily quickly shook her head; Avalon, whilst having a rebellious streak, would not lie about something as serious as this. She wished that she could say without a doubt that Dorcas would never say something like that, but since the beginning of term, something had been off about Dorcas.

At first, Lily had wanted to put it off as nerves, with it being her last year at Hogwarts and with N.E. looming over their heads. But now, she wondered if it had anything to do with the threat of Voldermort and his increasing powers.

Just the thought of his name caused Lily to shiver.

Slipping out of her bedroom and wrapping her cloak around her body, Lily escaped the confinements of the Heads Dormitories, running to find Dorcas and demand an explanation.

* * *

"So, you never did tell me. Where is your partner in crime?" Avalon grinned as Sirius linked their arms together as they made their way back to Hogwarts after Sirius had almost gotten them banned from Three Broomsticks after starting a butterbeer drinking competition. It's a miracle that they hadn't really; although Avalon chalked it up to Rosmerta's love for the Marauders.

He shrugged his shoulders, "James' become boring! Said he had some Transfiguration work he needed to get done, bunch of bull if you ask me. It's like he's taking Head Boy way to seriously,"

Avalon frowned at that, remembering James dilemma from before. "He might be overwhelmed. I imagine it's a huge jump; suddenly he's Head Boy and a Marauder. Those two things are the complete opposite of each other. And don't forget, it is our final year. Exams and coffee will be our life in a few months time,"

Sirius groaned, "Don't remind me love," He sniffled from the cold slightly, shivering as he moved closer to Avalon who was unusually warm. "How are you still so warm, we've been out in the cold for a good ten minutes,"

She winked up at him, "It's my incredibly warm heart,"

"What does that make me? Cold-blooded?"

"You said it Black, not me,"

Sirius rolled his eyes, enjoying the day immensely. He did miss the fact that he hadn't been able to take that pretty bird from Hufflepuff out for the day, but realised that they probably wouldn't have gotten up to much (bar the occasional snog if he got lucky). No, Avalon was a lot more fun to be around – maybe even better.

"Anyway- I head your Quidditch Captain, when are the games start-"

"Avalon!" Marlene came rushing towards the two, eyes widening slightly as she saw Sirius with his arms around her. He whined like a puppy that had been kicked as Avalon hastily moved away, shivering at the loss of heat.

"What is it Marls?"

"Lily. Dorcas. No time to explain." She huffed out, cheeks flushing. "Merlin, I really should do some exercise."

Sirius tugged Avalon's hand, weaving her through the array of students and the crowd that had begun to form around the courtyard. He could just about see James' mess of dark hair as he barged past students towards Sirius, Remus and Peter behind them.

"Where's Lily?" He rushed out, concern filtering through his hasty words.

"HOW COULD YOU FUCKING SAY THAT?"

The courtyard had become extremely silent, as Lily's murderous voice screeched over the whole quad. Lily's fury was something that even the professors feared, but her swearing was another thing.

Shoving and pushing his way to the front, with Avalon's hands still clasped in his, Sirius did not know how to react to the sight in front of him.

Lily had tears streaming down her face, and Dorcas had a mask of indifference on her. What had caused everyone to stop was the wand pointed at Dorcas' neck and Lily's enraged face. "I never expected _you_ to be like them. You're just like Severus."

"Like Snape? Did you just compare me to Snape? I have never gone behind your back; I never hurt you like he did! How could you say that about me?"

"Because you did the same thing! I'm a Muggleborn, my family are Muggles and I was born in the Muggle World. How do you expect me to react if my best friend is a wizard supremacist?"

"Shut up! You have no idea what its like! You-Know-Who will just kill my family if we become blood traitors because of filthy Mudbloods like you!"

Stepping foreword, James' hands clenched into fists as he whipped his wand from his cloak. Swiftly, Sirius grasped his arm, pulling him away from the mess in front of them. Marlene had to control Avalon from ripping the girl to shreds; she was snarling such profanities that would most second-years took down for future reference.

"Lily can handle this herself," He reassuringly whispered, keeping his eye on the way James' seemed to have difficulty breathing.

"You can't expect me to do nothing!"

"I'm not, but give Lily a chance, she's stronger than a lot of people," Sirius replied.

It seemed that Sirius was right. Pulling her arm back, she slammed her fist into Dorcas Meadows' nose, effectively ending their long, six years of friendship, the good old Muggle way.

With that, she turned away, coming face to face with the crowd she had gathered. She was fuming and if anybody so much as talked to her, she knew she would blow up. Storming past the crowd, her fiery waves of scarlet added to the murderous emotions that rolled off her. She barely took a step forward before Avalon (dragging along Marlene) ran after her.

"ALRIGHT YOU MUPPETS!" James voice boomed over the courtyard, causing some first-years to screech, one poor girl almost burst into tears. "GET BACK TO YOUR KNITTING! NOTHING TO SEE HERE!"

It was as if a spell had broken, and all the students had tittered away. James knew that in the next hour, the whole school would know what had occurred. That was the problem with Hogwarts- there was no privacy.

"Meadows huh?" Remus muttered. "She didn't pin me as the type to be bigotry."

"No-one did." Sirius sighed. "But storms are coming, and I don't think she'll be the last either. You-Know-Who's getting stronger, and so is the fear he's creating."

* * *

_Laughter. Smile. Giggle. _

Dorcas could see through all of the fake smiles and see the disguised horror behind them. The gossip that spread wildly, the unsympathetic faces and the twisted logic of her becoming friendless; she could see these emotions flash before everyone's eyes.

Dorcas Meadows could see through all of this, but she could not stop the fake smiles that flittered across her face, pretending that everything was okay, that everything _would_ be okay.

But what could she do? She had to protect her family, the less she spent with Muggleborns and the likes of Blood Traitors, the more they'd be safe.

Her fake smiles filled the room, and with the flick of her hair over her shoulder, she wrapped her arm around Lucas' arm as he escorted her to the Infirmary, Madam Pomfrey fixing her nose with the flick of her wand. She ignored the stab of pain that doubled in her heart as she remembered Lily's disconsolate face, and the snarling of Avalon Summers. Because she cared, she cared about how people saw her, how people would think of her.

Yes, she could fake smiles. It would be the only thing keeping her safe, the only thing keeping her sane.


	9. AN

Hi guys. So it's come to my attention that I have literally fucked up (Excuse my french xD) this story. I have so many ideas and thoughts of where it will go, and I haven't been planning them. This caused the story to contradict itself or wouldn't be as well written as I hoped it would be. So, I'm completely re-writing it. As the chapter stands, there won't be that many changes to the plot so far, however the journey will be slightly different and there will be hopefully a lot more description.

Most importantly, I want to make this story as realistic as possible, and as a Guest Reviewer pointed out (I really wished you told me your name- I don't even know who I'm supposed to thank for the epiphany that you gave me!), there are many flaws with the stories and characters that I've written. Example: The Marauders. James I think I've done well on, and Sirius to an extent. But in the plot and story that's in my head, Remus and Peter have a larger part and I'm not doing there characters justice.

So I guess there won't be many updates lately, mainly because I will be editing the chapters that I've released so far. But not to worry, I promise you that you will enjoy them so much more than you do now.

See you soon,

LiveLaughLoveTogether13


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